Patent ID: 7638235

Claim:
A fuel cell comprising: a membrane electrode assembly (MEA); and a first bipolar plate positioned on one side of the MEA, said first bipolar plate including a first unipolar plate and a second unipolar plate bonded together, said first and second unipolar plates of the first bipolar plate defining cathode reactant gas flow channels facing the MEA, anode reactant gas flow channels facing away from the MEA and cooling fluid flow channels, said first and second unipolar plates of the first bipolar plate including a plurality of pores extending through the unipolar plates between the cooling fluid flow channels and the anode and cathode reactant gas flow channels, and wherein the first bipolar plate includes at least one pervaporation membrane positioned relative to the pores that selectively allows water in a cooling fluid flowing through the cooling fluid flow channels to pervaporate through the pores and enter the reactant gas flow channels as water vapor.