Patent ID: 6911276
Filing Date: 2005-06-28
Classification: H01M,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A fuel cell stack apparatus comprising at least a pair of plates and a membrane electrode assembly between the plates, each plate having a surface with at least one channel defined therein at least a portion of the surface of the plate adapted for repelling a liquid, and comprising a substrate with a multiplicity of asperities thereon, each asperity having a cross-sectional dimension and an asperity rise angle relative to the substrate, the asperities being distributed so that the surface portion has a contact line density value measured in meters of contact line per square meter of surface area equal to or greater than a critical contact line density value “Λ where P is a predetermined maximum expected pressure value at the surface portion, γ is the surface tension of the liquid, θ α,0 is the experimentally measured true advancing contact angle of the liquid on the asperity material in degrees, and ω is the asperity rise angle.