Single- and Double-Sided Coated Gas Diffusion Layers Used in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells: A Numerical Study

A new three-dimensional numerical model of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) with a single straight channel was developed to primarily investigate the important impact of the double-sided microporous layer (MPL) coating on the overall performance of the fuel cell and the distribution of the current and the oxygen concentration within the cathode gas diffusion layers (GDLs). Realistic experimentally estimated interfacial contact resistance values between the gas diffusion layer and each of the bipolar plates and the catalyst layer values were incorporated into the model, and parametric studies were performed. The results showed that the double-sided MPL coating could significantly improve the fuel cell performance by up to 30%. Additionally, it was shown that the neglect of the contact resistance between the MPL and the catalyst layer could overestimate the fuel cell performance by up to 6%. In addition, the results showed that the fuel cell performance and the distribution of the current and oxygen are more sensitive to the porosity of the MPL facing the bipolar plate than the porosity of the MPL facing the catalyst layer. All the above results are presented and critically discussed in detail.

[1]  D. Ingham,et al.  Alternative architectures and materials for PEMFC gas diffusion layers: A review and outlook , 2022, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.

[2]  D. Ingham,et al.  The effects of GDL anisotropic transport properties on the PEFC performance , 2022, International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow.

[3]  Wenbo Lu,et al.  Numerical study on the impact of interface contact resistance on the performance of a PEMFC with serpentine flow field , 2021 .

[4]  D. Candusso,et al.  Impact of cyclic mechanical compression on the electrical contact resistance between the gas diffusion layer and the bipolar plate of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell , 2020, Renewable Energy.

[5]  Xianguo Li,et al.  A review of gas diffusion layers for proton exchange membrane fuel cells—With a focus on characteristics, characterization techniques, materials and designs , 2019, Progress in Energy and Combustion Science.

[6]  Somchai Wongwises,et al.  Effects of assembly pressure on PEM fuel cell performance by taking into accounts electrical and thermal contact resistances , 2019, Energy.

[7]  Linfa Peng,et al.  Electrical resistance and microstructure of typical gas diffusion layers for proton exchange membrane fuel cell under compression , 2018, Applied Energy.

[8]  B. Sundén,et al.  Influence of anisotropic gas diffusion layers on transport phenomena in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell , 2017 .

[9]  M. Hoorfar,et al.  Measurement of effective bulk and contact resistance of gas diffusion layer under inhomogeneous compression – Part I: Electrical conductivity , 2016 .

[10]  D. Ingham,et al.  Effective diffusivity of polymer electrolyte fuel cell gas diffusion layers: An overview and numerical study , 2015 .

[11]  P. Kalisvaart,et al.  Deconvolution of electrical contact and bulk resistance of gas diffusion layers for fuel cell applications , 2015 .

[12]  J. Benziger,et al.  Bulk and contact resistances of gas diffusion layers in proton exchange membrane fuel cells , 2014 .

[13]  D. Ingham,et al.  The in-plane thermal conductivity and the contact resistance of the components of the membrane electrode assembly in proton exchange membrane fuel cells , 2013 .

[14]  D. Ingham,et al.  The contact resistance between gas diffusion layers and bipolar plates as they are assembled in proton exchange membrane fuel cells , 2013 .

[15]  H. Nakajima,et al.  Influence of Hydrohilic and Hydrophobic Double MPL Coated GDL on PEFC Performance , 2013 .

[16]  Xianguo Li,et al.  Effective transport properties for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells – With a focus on the gas diffusion layer , 2013 .

[17]  D. Ingham,et al.  Effects of anisotropic permeability and electrical conductivity of gas diffusion layers on the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells , 2012 .

[18]  Eunsook Lee,et al.  Development of a novel hydrophobic/hydrophilic double micro porous layer for use in a cathode gas di , 2011 .

[19]  Toshiaki Konomi,et al.  Microporous layer coated gas diffusion layers for enhanced performance of polymer electrolyte fuel cells , 2010 .

[20]  B. Popov,et al.  Effect of cathode GDL characteristics on mass transport in PEM fuel cells , 2009 .

[21]  Jin Hyun Nam,et al.  Microporous layer for water morphology control in PEMFC , 2009 .

[22]  Jun Ni,et al.  A mechanical-electrical finite element method model for predicting contact resistance between bipolar plate and gas diffusion layer in PEM fuel cells , 2008 .

[23]  Ying Liu,et al.  Estimation of contact resistance in proton exchange membrane fuel cells , 2006 .

[24]  Jianlu Zhang,et al.  A bi-functional micro-porous layer with composite carbon black for PEM fuel cells , 2006 .

[25]  M. Fowler,et al.  In-plane and through-plane gas permeability of carbon fiber electrode backing layers , 2006 .

[26]  Jon G. Pharoah,et al.  On effective transport coefficients in PEM fuel cell electrodes: Anisotropy of the porous transport layers , 2006 .

[27]  Chengwei Wu,et al.  Contact resistance prediction and structure optimization of bipolar plates , 2006 .

[28]  Jiujun Zhang,et al.  Micro-porous layer with composite carbon black for PEM fuel cells , 2006 .

[29]  Lin Wang,et al.  A parametric study of PEM fuel cell performances , 2003 .

[30]  Zhigang Qi,et al.  Improvement of water management by a microporous sublayer for PEM fuel cells , 2002 .

[31]  Shimshon Gottesfeld,et al.  Characterization of polymer electrolytes for fuel cell applications , 1993 .

[32]  T. Springer,et al.  Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Model , 1991 .

[33]  Albert J. Shih,et al.  A micro-scale model for predicting contact resistance between bipolar plate and gas diffusion layer in PEM fuel cells , 2007 .

[34]  D. A. G. Bruggeman.  Berechnung verschiedener physikalischer Konstanten von heterogenen Substanzen. I. Dielektrizitätskonstanten und Leitfähigkeiten der Mischkörper aus isotropen Substanzen , 1935 .