TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Gas: The gas comprises oxygen or hydrogen.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INSTRUMENTATION AND TESTING - Preferred Component: The flow buffer reduces pressure variance for the first channel field. It is configured to receive the gas from a third channel in the first set of channels. It is configured with a volume that reduces a pressure difference of gases in the first and third channel before outputting the gaseous flow to the second channel. The first and third channels are straight. The third channel is parallel to the first channel. The bi-polar plate further includes second flow buffer configured to receive the gas from the second channel and output the gas to a third channel in a third set of channels in the first channel field, and heat transfer appendage (46) in conductive thermal communication with the substrate and arranged outside the first channel field. The second flow buffer is configured to receive the gas from a fourth channel in the second set of channels. The second flow buffer is configured with a volume that reduces a pressure difference of gases in the second and fourth channels before outputting the gaseous flow to the third channel. The second and fourth channels are straight. The fourth channel is parallel to the second channel. The bi-polar plate includes a single plate. The first and second channel fields are disposed on opposite faces of the single plate. The bi-polar plates include first plate having first face, and second plate having second face. The fuel cell further includes first landing on the first bi-polar plate that includes a surface area of the first bi-polar plate disposed between two channels in the first channel field, second landing on the second bi-polar plate that includes a surface area of the second bi-polar plate disposed between two channels in the second channel field, thermal catalyst disposed in contact with or in proximity to the heat transfer appendage and that generates heat with exposure to a heating media, top end plate (64a), bottom end plate (64b) that secures to the top end plate and applies pressure to the membrane electrode assembly when the top and bottom end plates are secured together. The first landing partially overlaps the second landing when the first and second bi-polar plates are assembled on opposite sides of the membrane electrode assembly. The membrane electrode assembly includes gas diffusion layer that contains the hydrogen catalyst. The diffusion layer comprises a compliant carbon layer. The overlap between the first and second landings includes half the surface area between a channel on the first bi-polar plate and nearest channel on the second bi-polar plate. The first face includes a gasket landing on the first face that peripherally surrounds the manifold on the first face. The gasket landing voids intersection with the manifold channel on the first face. The second face comprises a second gasket landing on the second face that peripherally surrounds the manifold on the second face. The second gasket landing does not intersect the manifold channel on the second face. The first gasket landing does not intersect the manifold channel on the first face. The heat transfer appendage is configured to sink heat from substrate between the first and second channel fields to the heat transfer appendage in a direction parallel to the first face. The heat transfer appendage has a smaller thickness than a thickness for the substrate between first and second faces. The heat transfer appendage comprises a material common to the substrate. The substrate comprises a metal, preferably gold coating. Preferred Property: The bi-polar plate has a thickness between the first and second faces that is less than 2x where x is the approximate thickness of a channel used in the first channel field. It has an overlapping channel depth greater than 5 mils. The channels in the first and second channel fields have a channel depth greater than 10 mils. The bi-polar plate has thickness less than 40 mils. The membrane electrode assembly employs an operating pressure of 30-400 pound/in2 (psi). The substrate comprises a thermal conductance greater than 1W/mK.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Gas: The gas comprises oxygen or hydrogen.