Patent ID: 8034502

Claim:
A fuel cell assembly comprising: a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies, each comprising an anode configured to accept a hydrogen-bearing reactant, a cathode configured to accept an oxygen-bearing reactant, a proton-permeable electrolyte membrane disposed between said anode and said cathode, a catalyst layer on said anode side of said proton-permeable electrolyte membrane, and a catalyst layer on said cathode side of said proton-permeable electrolyte membrane, said catalyst layer on said anode side and said catalyst layer on said cathode layer having an area; and a plurality of plates each of which is disposed between a pair of said plurality of membrane electrode assemblies, said each plate defining a wet side reactant channel in fluid communication with a corresponding one of said anode or said cathode of an adjacently facing one of said membrane electrode assemblies, said wet side reactant channel comprising: an active region defined by said area of said catalyst layer of said anode side or said cathode side that facilitates a catalytic reaction of one of said reactants that passes therethrough; and an inactive region outside said active region where substantially no catalytic reaction takes place, said inactive region fluidly coupled to said active region; and a water transport device disposed in said inactive region and comprising a hydrophilic member that forms at least a portion of said wet side reactant channel such that upon passage of a fluid containing said one of said reactants through said wet side reactant channel, said hydrophilic member absorbs at least a portion of water present in said fluid.