Last Data Updates: 06 January 2016

Last data updates: 06 January 2016

Cindrella, L., Kannan, A.M., Lin, J.F., Saminathan, K., Ho, Y., Lin, C.W. and Wertz, J. (2008), Gas diffusion layer for proton exchange membrane fuel cells-A review. Journal of Power Sources, 194 (1), 146-160.

Document type: Article, Proceedings Paper / Language: English / Cited references: 22 / Times cited: 152 / Times self cited: 5

Abstract: Gas diffusion layer (GDL) is one of the critical components acting both as the functional as well as the support structure for membrane-electrode assembly in the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The role of the GDL is very significant in the H-2/air PEM fuel cell to make it commercially viable. A bibliometric analysis of the publications on the GDLs since 1992 shows a total of 400+ publications (>140 papers in the journal of Power Sources alone) and reveals an exponential growth due to reasons that PEMFC promises a lot of potential as the future energy source for varied applications and hence its vital component GDL requires due innovative analysis and research. This paper is an attempt to pool together the published work on the GDLs and also to review the essential properties of the GDLs, the method of achieving each one of them, their characterization and the current status and future directions. The optimization of the functional properties of the GDLs is possible only by understanding the role of its key parameters such as structure. porosity, hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, gas permeability, transport properties, water management and the surface morphology. This paper discusses them in detail to provide an insight into the structural parts that make the GDLs and also the processes that occur in the GDLs under service conditions and the characteristic properties. The required balance in the properties of the GDLs to facilitate the counter current flow of the gas and water is highlighted through its characteristics. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Author Keywords: Gas Diffusion Layer; Hydrophobicity; Porosity; Water Management; Gas Permeability; Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

KeyWords Plus: Liquid Water Transport; Micro-Porous Layer; Solid-Polymer-Electrolyte; Fluid-Dynamics Model; Porosity Distribution Variation; Predicting Contact Resistance; Beam-Assisted Deposition; Lattice Boltzmann Method; Serpentine Flow-Fields; Composite Carbon-Black

Reprint Address: Kannan, AM (reprint author), Arizona State Univ, Dept Engn Technol, Fuel Cell Res Lab, Mesa, AZ 85212 USA

Addresses:

1. Arizona State Univ, Dept Engn Technol, Fuel Cell Res Lab, Mesa, AZ 85212 USA

2. Natl Inst Technol, Dept Chem, Tiruchchirappalli 620015, Tamil Nadu India

3. Asia Univ, Coll Hlth Sci, Dept Biotechnol, Taichung 41354, Taiwan

4. Natl Yunlin Univ Sci & Technol, Dept Chem Engn, Yunlin 640, Taiwan

5. Hollingsworth & Vose Co, AK Nicholson Res Lab, W Groton, MA 01472 USA

E-mail Addresses:

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