Electrical contact element for a fuel cell having a conductive monoatomic layer coating

An assembly for use in a fuel cell comprising:

• an electrically conductive metal substrate having a major surface with surface oxides formed thereon;
• a layer of electrically conductive porous fluid distribution media having a first and a second surface, said first surface facing said major surface of said metal substrate, said first surface facing said major surface of said metal substrate, wherein said layer defines pores forming flow paths therethrough, said pores including internal pores and external pores;
• a membrane electrode assembly, said second surface confronting the membrane electrode assembly;
• and
• one or more metallized regions on said first and said second surfaces of said layer, each said metallized region containing an electrically conductive material and having an average thickness equal to about the diameter of one atom of the material, wherein said electrically conductive material is deposited on interior surfaces of at least a portion of at least one of said internal pores and external pores in said metallized regions and extends into said layer, wherein said major surface of said conductive metal substrate is arranged in contact with said metallized regions to provide an electrically conductive path from said layer of conductive porous fluid distribution media through said metallized regions and said surface oxides to said metal substrate, and wherein an electrical contact resistance across said metal substrate through said metallized regions to said layer is less than a comparative contact resistance across a similar metal substrate and a similar layer of fluid distribution media absent said metallized regions.

A method for manufacturing an electrically conductive element for a fuel cell, comprising:

• depositing an electrically conductive material on a surface of a layer of electrically conductive porous media to form one or more metallized regions and having an average thickness equal to about the diameter of one atom of the material, wherein said layer define pores forming flow paths therethrough, said pores including internal pores and external pores, wherein said electrically conductive material is deposited on interior surfaces of at least a portion of at least one of said internal pores and external pores in said one or more metallized regions and extends into said layer;
• positioning said surface having said metallized regions adjacent to a major surface of a metallic electrically conductive substrate, the major surface having surface oxides formed thereon, said surface facing said major surface;
• and
• contacting said substrate with said surface having said one or more metallized regions to form an electrically conductive path from said layer through said one or more metallized regions and said surface oxides to said metal substrate.