Polarized gas separator and liquid coalescer for fuel cell stack assemblies

摘要

The present invention is a polarized gas separator useful in the bipolar construction of a fuel cell stack. It comprises a porous conductive substrate and a barrier layer, the barrier layer having a first side and a second side, and laterally extending through the porous conductive substrate so that a first portion of the porous conductive substrate extends from the first side of the barrier layer and a second portion of the porous conductive substrate extends from the second side of the barrier layer. Effectively, the polarized gas separator is a single component system that not only enhances power performance of fuel cell stacks but also defeats several problems previously unsolvable by conventional bipolar plate assemblies.