Patent ID: 8669019

Claim:
A water vapor transfer device for a fuel cell comprising: a pair of diffusion medium layers, each of the diffusion medium layers having a first edge and a second edge; a pair of edge strips disposed between the diffusion medium layers, one of the edge strips disposed adjacent the first edge of each of the diffusion medium layers, and an other of the edge strips disposed adjacent the second edge of each of the diffusion medium layers, each of the edge strips having a first major surface and a second major surface, the first major surface spaced apart from the second major surface, an entirety of the first major surface and an entirety of the second major surface of one of the edge strips bonded to each of the diffusion medium layers with a hot-melt adhesive; an array of elongate cords disposed between the diffusion medium layers and arranged substantially parallel with the first edge and the second edge intermediate the edge strips, the elongate cords bonded to each of the diffusion medium layers with a hot-melt adhesive and defining a plurality of flow channels between the diffusion medium layers; a pair of polymer membranes between which the diffusion medium layers, the edges strips, and the elongate cords are disposed, the polymer membranes bonded to the diffusion medium layers adjacent the edge strips with the hot-melt adhesive from the edge strips, the hot melt adhesive contiguous through the diffusion medium layers from the adjacent edge strips to the adjacent polymer membranes, the polymer membranes not bonded to the diffusion medium layers intermediate the edge strips.