Compliant fuel cell system

A fuel cell stack comprising:

• a first fuel cell assembly and a second fuel cell assembly electrically coupled together, each fuel cell assembly comprising:
• a hollow manifold comprising a top wall and a bottom wall, said hollow manifold including a sealed fuel passage for allowing fuel to enter and exit said hollow manifold;
• and
• a fuel cell comprising an anode, a cathode and an electrolyte disposed there between, a portion of one of said top and bottom walls of said hollow manifold forming a side wall in direct contact with said fuel cell such that said fuel cell is coplanar with said hollow manifold;
• wherein a portion of one of the top and bottom walls of said hollow manifold extending between said fuel cell and said sealed fuel passage forms a compliant structure to accommodate thermal expansion of said fuel cell in the same plane as said hollow manifold.