Fuel cell assemblies of the type mentioned above have been disclosed i.a. in WO 2006/041397.
In WO 2006/041397 there is disclosed a planar configuration air breathing polymer electrolyte fuel cell assembly which is shown in FIG. 10 in the present application. It comprises a fuel cell 120, for use in a series connection arrangement in a planar configuration air breathing polymer electrolyte electrochemical device. The fuel cell 120 is thus adapted to be connected in series to one or more similar fuel cells 120′ and to be attached to an anode support 110 having openings 112, 113 for gas access. Accordingly, the fuel cell 120 comprises a current collector element 118 and a membrane electrode assembly MEA 103. The current collector element 118 comprises an electrically conductive foil consisting of a cathode current collector portion 102 and an anode current collector portion 101. The MEA 103 comprises a solid ion conducting polymer membrane electrolyte 104, an anode 105, an anode gas backing 106 or gas diffusion layer (GDL), a cathode 107 and a cathode GDL 108, and is arranged in the fuel cell 120 such that the cathode GDL 108 is directed towards the cathode portion 102 of the current collector element 118, and the anode GDL 106 is directed away from the current collector element 118. The MEA is attached to the current collector element 118 by means of an adhesive layer 114 provided on the cathode portion 102 of the current collector element 118, said adhesive layer 114 covering a region 114a adjacent and corresponding to the cathode GDL 108, and being electrically conductive in at least the region 114a. The different elements and adhesive layers of the fuel cell according to this embodiment may be the same as described for the single cell fuel cell above. The anode portion 101 of the current collector element 118 extends laterally from the cathode current collector portion 102 and functions as an anode current collector for an adjacent series-connected fuel cell 120′ when in use. The anode current collector portion 101 has openings 112, 113 for gas access, and is provided with an adhesive layer 109 on a surface of the current collector element 118 directed away from the cathode side of the membrane electrode assembly 103 of the fuel cell 120.
Also in WO 2009/025613 there is disclosed a planar configuration air breathing polymer electrolyte fuel cell assembly, shown in FIG. 11 in the present application. Two cells 200a and 200b, respectively, connected in series are shown. Each comprises an anode GDL 208a and 208b, a cathode GDL 210a and 210b, a MEA 209a and 209b, and an inert conductive clamping element 204a and 204b, respectively. A conductive foil 206 is provided beneath the anode part of the first cell 200a (to the left) and extends out to the right for connection to the second, adjacent cell 200b. An insulating spacer member 201 is interposed between the anode conductive foil 206 (extending from under the anode side of one cell 200a, to the left in the figure) and the MEA 209b of the adjacent cell, so that the electrical connection to the clamping means component 204b (e.g. a gold plated net or a steel plate) of an adjacent cell 200b is ensured, while at the same time ensuring that the foil 206 is electrochemically insulated from the MEA 209b of the adjacent cell 200b, when the assembly is pressed to the top clamping plate (e.g. by clamping/screwing together the top clamping plate and a backing plate, not shown in the figure). Thus, the first current collector 206 has an extended portion which is in contact with the upper surface of said spacer member 201 when clamped by said inert conductive member 204b against the spacer member 201.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,127,058 (Motorola) there is disclosed a planar fuel cell. In one embodiment the current collector assembly is fabricated in a very thin and flexible format by replacing the plastic frame with a plastic film that has metal current collectors, for example, using a structure very much like a flexible circuit board. The laminated structure comprising the MEA disposed between the two current collector assemblies is in general terms said to be held together by ultrasonically welding or by use of adhesives at the interfaces. There is no specific disclosure of the methods of assembling.