Patent ID: 7820334

Claim:
A fuel cell, comprising: a membrane-electrode assembly including an electrolyte membrane having an ion-conducting property, an oxidant pole disposed at one side of the electrolyte membrane in a thickness direction thereof, and a fuel pole disposed at other side of the electrolyte membrane in the thickness direction thereof; an oxidant distributing plate disposed facing the oxidant pole that supplies an oxidant gas to the oxidant pole; and a fuel distributing plate disposed facing the fuel pole that supplies a fuel to the fuel pole, wherein at least one of the oxidant distributing plate and the fuel distributing plate is provided with (a) an opposite passage formed on an opposite surface which is opposite to the membrane-electrode assembly, and (b) a reaction passage on a facing surface which faces the membrane-electrode assembly, which is communicated with the opposite passage, and which allows the oxidant gas or the fuel having flowed in the opposite passage to flow in the reaction passage, and wherein a pore rate of the oxidant distributing plate is larger at a downstream area than at an upstream area of the reaction passage.