# US 2014/0154604 A1 · Fuel Cell Comprising at Least Two Stacked Printed Circuit Boards with a Plurality of Interconnected Fuel Cell Units > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0154604 A1 - Document ID: US20140154604A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/174,605 - Filed: 2014-02-06 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2011-03-01 - Assignees: UCL Business PLC; Imperial Innovations Limited - Applicants: UCL Business PLC; Imperial Innovations Limited - Inventors: Daniel John Leslie BRETT; Anthony Robert John KUCERNAK - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140154604A1 ## CPC - H01M 8/2483: characterised by internal manifolds - H01M 8/0228: in the form of layered or coated products - H01M 8/0263: having meandering or serpentine paths - H01M 8/0269: {Separators, collectors or interconnectors including a printed circuit board} - H01M 8/0297: Arrangements for joining electrodes, reservoir layers, heat exchange units or bipolar separators to each other (H01M8/0271 takes precedence) - H01M 8/04029: Heat exchange using liquids - H01M 8/04082: Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration - H01M 8/1004: characterised by membrane-electrode assemblies [MEA] (H01M8/12 takes precedence) - H01M 8/1007: with both reactants being gaseous or vaporised (H01M8/12 takes precedence) - H01M 8/241: with solid or matrix-supported electrolytes - H01M 8/2465: Details of groupings of fuel cells - Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract A fuel cell comprising at least two stacked fuel cell boards (22) which each comprise a membrane of substantially gas impervious electrolyte material and at least two electrode pairs wherein the anode and cathode of each said electrode pair are arranged on respective faces of said membrane. An electrode of each pair of electrodes is connected to an electrode of an adjacent pair of electrodes by a through-membrane connection (13) or by an external connection on a Printed Circuit Board, comprising an electrically conductive region of said electrolyte material. A method for forming the through-membrane electrical connections in the electrolyte membrane is also disclosed. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-24. (canceled) ### Claim 25 A fuel cell comprising at least two fuel cell boards, each individually switchable by providing at least one switch on each of said fuel cell boards. ### Claim at position 3 26-68. (canceled) ### Claim 69 (depends on 25) A fuel cell as claimed in claim 25, wherein when the fuel cell boards in the fuel cell are stacked, adjacent fuel cell boards in the stack are separated by an insulating spacer. ### Claim 70 (depends on 69) A fuel cell as claimed in claim 69, wherein the spacer has integrated coolant conduits. ### Claim 71 (depends on 69) A fuel cell as claimed in claim 69, wherein the spacer is shaped to assist the distribution of reactants. ### Claim 72 (depends on 69) A fuel cell as claimed in claim 69, further comprising water supply or extraction conduits. ### Claim 73 (depends on 25) A fuel cell as claimed in claim 25, wherein each fuel cell board comprises a plurality of anodes and a plurality of cathodes and wherein on each face of each fuel cell board, the sequence of anodes and cathodes alternates such that each anode, except the anode on edge of the fuel cell board, lies between two cathodes, and each cathode, except the cathode on edge of the fuel cell board, lies between two anodes, and the cathodes of two adjacent fuel cell boards lie substantially opposite each other. ### Claim 74 (depends on 73) A fuel cell as claimed in claim 73, wherein a first reactant is delivered to a pair of anodes on a first and second adjacent fuel cell boards by means of a single first reactant distribution channel on one reactant distribution layer, and a second reactant is delivered to a pair of cathodes on said first and second adjacent fuel cell boards by means of a single second reactant distribution channel on said reactant distribution layer. ### Claim 75 (depends on 73) A fuel cell as claimed in claim 73, wherein each face of each fuel cell board carries either only anodes or only cathodes, and the fuel cell boards in the fuel cell are arranged so that the anodes of two adjacent fuel cell boards lie substantially opposite each other, and the cathodes of two adjacent fuel cell boards lie substantially opposite each other. ### Claim 76 A method of controlling the power output profile of a fuel cell having at least two fuel cell boards comprising selectively switching one or more fuel cell board. ### Claim 77 (depends on 76) A method as claimed in claim 76, comprising the step of switching fuel cell boards according to a duty cycle. ### Claim 78 (depends on 76) A method as claimed in claim 76, further comprising depositing a corrosion resistant layer onto the surface of a current collection and/or distribution layer of a fuel cell. ### Claim 79 (depends on 78) The method of claim 78, wherein the corrosion resistant layer is formed by applying an ink comprising a conducting polymer or a conductive metal oxide, or carbon conductive ink, to the surface of a current collection and/or distribution layer. ### Claim 80 (depends on 79) The method of claim 79, wherein the conducting polymer is selected from polyaniline, polypyrrole, polythiophene and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT). ### Claim 81 (depends on 79) The method of claim 79, wherein the conductive metal oxide is selected from Ti4O7; Ti0.9Nb0.1O2; or tin oxide doped with antimony, fluorine, or indium. ### Claim 82 (depends on 79) The method of claim 79, wherein the conductive polymer has a perfluorinated substituent, especially where that perfluorinated substituent is a perfluorinated aliphatic chain, or contains perfluorinated aliphatic chains. ### Claim 83 (depends on 79) The method of claim 79, wherein the monomers forming the conductive polymer comprise a perfluorinated alkyl chain. ### Claim 84 (depends on 79) The method of claim 79, wherein the surface of a current collection and/or distribution layer undergoes direct derivatisation of its surface, utilising a silane or diazo reagent to form a corrosion resistant layer. ### Claim 85 (depends on 84) The method of claim 84, wherein the silane or diazo reagent comprises perfluoro properties. ### Claim 86 (depends on 85) The method of claim 85 wherein the silane or diazo reagent comprises a pefluorinated benzene, or an aryl ring further comprising a perfluorinated alkyl chain. ### Claim 87 (depends on 77) The method of claim 77, wherein a combination of corrosion resistant layers is applied to the surface of a current collection and/or distribution layer, the method comprising the step of applying an ink to the surface of a current collection and/or distribution layer, and/or electrodepositing a conductive polymer onto the surface of a current collection and/or distribution layer, and/or direct derivatisation of the surface of a current collection and/or distribution layer, with a silane or diazo reagent.