Integrated environmentally protective barrier with light blocking and light transmitting features to optically communicate between two electronic devices operating in different environments

A fuel cell stack comprising a plurality of fuel cells each of which comprises an anode, a cathode, and a membrane disposed between said anode and cathode to facilitate the transfer of an ionized fluid there between;

• a first reactant flowpath to convey a hydrogen-bearing fluid to the anode;
• a second reactant flowpath to convey an oxygen-bearing fluid to the cathode;
• a plurality of manifolds in fluid communication with the fuel cell stack for delivery and removal of the hydrogen-bearing fluid and the oxygen-bearing fluid through the respective first reactant flowpaths and the second reactant flowpath;
• and
• a system for monitoring the health of a fuel cell stack, the system comprising a measurement module, an optical communication module in signal communication with the measurement module such that a property associated with the health of the fuel cell stack is measured by the measurement module through the optical communication module, and
• an environmental barrier disposed between the measurement module and the optical communication module such that the environmental barrier isolates the optical communication module from the environment contained within the fuel cell stack.

A method of measuring a property within at least one fuel cell within a fuel cell stack comprising:

• measuring the property and transmitting the property using a measurement module;
• receiving the property using an optical communication module wherein the communication module is in signal communication with the measurement module;
• and
• using an environmental barrier disposed between the measurement module and the optical communication module to isolate the optical communication module from an environment contained within the fuel cell stack.