Patent ID: 8383280

Claim:
A fuel cell separator plate comprising: (a) a planar substrate comprising a main body having first and second opposed major surfaces, a first open channel recessed in the first major surface, and a first segment extending from the main body; (b) a thermally and electrically conductive first current collector layer on the first major surface of the main body, the first current collector layer having a flow field portion and a heat exchange portion extending from the flow field portion onto the first segment such that heat in the flow field portion conducts to the heat exchange portion during fuel cell use; (c) a second open channel forming part of the substrate and recessed in the second major surface of the main body, and a second segment forming part of the substrate and extending from the main body; and (d) a thermally and electrically conductive second current collector layer having a flow field portion on the second major surface of the main body and a heat exchange portion extending from the flow field portion onto the second segment such that heat in the flow field portion conducts to the heat exchange portion during fuel cell use wherein the materials and dimensions of the substrate are selected to provide sufficient mechanical support for the separator plate during fuel cell use and to serve as a thermal and electrical insulator, the first and second segments each have a thickness less than the thickness of the main body, and wherein the first segment has a major surface that is co-planar with the first major surface of the main body and the second segment has a major surface that is co-planar with the second major surface of the substrate, such that when the planar substrate is stacked adjacent to another planar substrate a space is formed in a stack direction between overlapping segments of the two substrates.