Patent ID: 7695843

Claim:
A microfibrous fuel cell element, comprising: (a) a microfibrous hollow membrane separator defining a bore side and a shell side; (b) an inner current collector at the bore side thereof; (c) an inner electrocatalyst layer in contact with an inner surface of the membrane separator; (d) an outer current collector at the shell side thereof; and (e) an outer electrocatalyst layer in contact with an outer surface of the membrane separator, wherein said microfibrous fuel cell element has a longitudinal axis, wherein at least one of the inner and outer electrocatalyst layers comprises a fiber network comprising a multiplicity of unidirectional fibers impregnated with an electrocatalyst material so that the electrocatalyst material is fiber-reinforced, wherein essentially all of such unidirectional fibers of the fiber network are substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of such microfibrous fuel cell element and the fiber network is substantially free of fibers that are not parallely oriented in relation to said longitudinal axis, wherein the fiber network comprises fibers that are embedded in and contact the electrocatalyst material over substantially all of their external surface, and wherein an inner fluid passage is provided between the inner electrocatalyst layer and the inner current collector for flow of either a fuel-containing or an oxidant-containing fluid.