Cell laminate and fuel cell provided with the same

A cell laminate constituted by laminating cells each including a membrane-electrode assembly having an electrolyte membrane and a plate-like separators between which the membrane-electrode assembly is held and in which the shapes of projections and recesses are inverted from each other on the front surface and the back surface of the separator,

• wherein between adjacent separators constituting the cell, there is formed either a power generation region where the membrane-electrode assembly and a resin-made frame-like member which holds at least a part of the membrane-electrode assembly are inserted, and between the cells, there is formed a refrigerant flow region where the membrane-electrode assembly or the frame-like member is not inserted,
• a rib-like deformation inhibiting region which inhibits the deformation of the separators is formed of projections provided on portions of the separators which connect manifolds to supply or discharge a reactant gas or a refrigerant to or from cells to the power generation region of the membrane-electrode assembly, or portions of the separators which connect manifolds to supply or discharge a refrigerant to or from between the cells to the refrigerant flow region, the projections protruding on a surface opposite to a surface on which the membrane-electrode assembly is held, and
• at least a part of the deformation inhibiting region overlaps with the membrane-electrode assembly as viewed from a laminating direction of the separators, whereby a portion of the deformation inhibiting region overlapped with the membrane-electrode assembly increases a close contact degree with respect to the adjacent separators by use of a reaction force generated by the membrane-electrode assembly,
• at least another part of the deformation inhibiting region extends into the vicinity of a manifold in fluid communication with the refrigerant flow region,
• recesses formed integrally with the back surfaces of the projections forming the deformation inhibiting region are backed up by an adhesive layer interposed between the recesses and the frame-like member,
• another deformation inhibiting region which inhibits the deformation of the deformation inhibiting region in the power generation region where the frame-like member is inserted is formed of separator deformation inhibiting projections provided on the frame-like member so as to project toward the recesses,
• the protrusions provided on the frame-like member have a rigidity higher than that of the adhesive layer to further improve the rigidity of a portion which backs up the back surface of the deformation inhibiting region of the separator,
• the recesses formed integrally with the back surfaces of the projections forming the deformation inhibiting region are filled with at least one of the projections provided on the frame-like member and the adhesive layer, and
• the deformation inhibiting regions formed on the separators disposed adjacent to each other across the refrigerant flow region come in contact with each other.