Novel gas diffusion layer with water management function for PEMFC

The water management of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) is a critical technology in developing a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). To maintain the MEA with a satisfactory water content and distribution, a novel gas diffusion layer (GDL) was designed by inserting a water management layer (WML) between the traditional GDL and the catalyst layer of the PEMFC. A simulator was developed for the optimization of the GDL, where the water distribution in the electrode and the profile of the water transport in the polymer membrane could be predicted. For this purpose, the water vapor permeability of the GDL, which was the main variable, was investigated under conditions similar to the PEMFC. Furthermore, the cell performance of the PEMFC with the GDL was tested. The testing results indicated that the water management in the MEA could be significantly improved by using the WML. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.