Process for making an electrochemical cell or battery, e.g. a fuel cell or fuel cell battery, and a cell or battery made by the process

A process for making an electrochemical cell, consisting of a stack of plate-shaped or sheet-shaped electrodes and, between each of the electrodes, plate-shaped or sheet-shaped frames forming gas or liquid chambers, comprising

• a. providing at least one electrode, in sheet form, and at least one dry sheet of fibrous-web material which contains a dry unpolymerized thermosetting plastic, polymerization catalyst and fibrous filler,
• wherein said sheet of fibrous-web material has been cut to form an opening centrally disposed in the sheet;
• b. disposing two of said sheets of fibrous-web material one of said electrodes and subjecting said assembly to sufficient pressure and temperature to cause the fibrous-web material to adhere to the electrode but insufficient to cause polymerization of the thermosetting plastic;
• c. stacking a plurality of said assembly together, while channel-forming elements of material inert to the thermoplastic are disposed to intersect with said opening in said insulating material and at least one edge of the sheet of insulating material, to form a stack;
• d. subjecting the stack to sufficient pressure and temperature, to cause the thermo-setting plastic to polymerize;
• e. withdrawing said channel-forming elements from the stack, thereby producing channels in the resulting block;
• cutting passages into the block perpendicular to the channels and intersecting with said channels;
• and sealing the open ends of the channels at the end of the channel which intersected with the edge of the sheet.