Patent ID: 8232023

Claim:
A fuel cell, comprising: a power generating body including an electrolyte layer and electrode layers disposed on opposite major surfaces of the electrolyte layer; a plurality of diffusion layers disposed on opposite major surfaces of the power generating body, and including internal channels through which a gas used for power generation flows so that the gas is supplied to the power generating body; a plurality of separators disposed on major surfaces of the diffusion layers opposite to major surfaces thereof facing the power generating body, so as to supply the gas to the diffusion layers, the power generating body, the diffusion layers and the separators being stacked together to form the fuel cell; a first seal formed around the periphery of the power generating body to extend along an end face of the power generating body and including an effective seal portion that suppresses leakage of the gas to the outside of the fuel cell between the separators; and a second seal formed integrally with at least one of the diffusion layers to extend along an end face of the at least one diffusion layer, the second seal being in intimate contact with a lamination surface of the power generating body on which the diffusion layer is laminated and a lamination surface of a corresponding one of the separators that is laminated on the diffusion layer, wherein the first seal includes a covering portion that covers each of opposite lamination surfaces of an end portion of the power generating body on which the diffusion layers are laminated, the second seal includes a portion that is located outside the end face of the diffusion layer and is in intimate contact with the entire region of the lamination surface of the power generating body which is not covered with the covering portion, the second seal being in intimate contact with a part of the first seal, and the covering portion overlaps with the second seal in a stacking direction of the fuel cell.