Patent ID: 8206865

Claim:
A separator for a fuel cell for supplying fuel gas and oxidizer gas to respective electrode layers of an electrode structure of the fuel cell and for collecting electricity generated through electrode reactions in the electrode layers, the separator comprising: a flat-sheet-like separator body formed from an electrically conductive material for preventing mixed flow of the fuel gas and the oxidizer gas, through separation of the fuel gas and the oxidizer gas from each other; a collector formed from a metal lath, which has a large number of through holes, each having a predetermined opening shape along a plane of the collector and having a stepped configuration in cross section to enable the fuel gas or the oxidizer gas to diffuse along a planar direction of the collector, the through holes continuously repeating in a predetermined offset pitch forming a gas passageway, between the separator body and each of the electrode layers for supplying the fuel gas or the oxidizer gas to the electrode layer, and for collecting electricity generated through electrode reactions in the electrode layers; and a layer for diffusing the oxidizer gas or the fuel gas, said layer being disposed between each of the collector and the electrode layer and comprising electrically conductive carbon fiber.