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The 3-dimensional spatial distribution of liquid water in different gas diffusion layer (GDL) materials was analyzed using synchrotron X-ray tomography. The capability of the method was demonstrated by virtually separating the GDL components in order to facilitate individual analysis of fiber material, liquid water and gas filled pore spaces. The influence of hydrophobic surface treatment on the water distribution in the GDL was illustrated by analyzing three GDL materials with different degrees of hydrophobicity. In the least hydrophobic sample, liquid water tends to form larger clusters which stretch out about several hundred µm inside the porous GDL. In contrast, only small water clusters were found in the strongly hydrophobic material with high Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-content as the liquid is partially pressed out of the GDL. Additionally, the influence of fiber orientation on the water distribution in the felt material was demonstrated.
Investigation of fuel cell materials and liquid water transport by means of synchrotron imaging
(2013)
Synchrotron imaging allows addressing various important issues in fuel cell research, for example water distribution and transport. The water distribution in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) was observed quasi in-situ directly after operation by means of synchrotron tomography. The 3D data set was compared with the tomogram of a dry cell in order to separate the water distribution from cell materials. Engineered transport pathways realized by perforating holes through the gas diffusion layer (GDL) are a recent approach to optimize water transport and cell performance. For some parameter sets a cell performance increase and an improvement of stabilization have already been proven. We present high resolution investigations of the water distribution in perforated GDLs of operating PEMFCs by means of in-situ synchrotron radiography. The surrounding areas of the holes exhibited a distinct hydrophilic character.
In this investigation, synchrotron X-ray imaging was used to investigate the water distribution inside newly developed gas diffusion media in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. In-situ radiography was used to reveal the relationship between the structure of the microporous layer (MPL) and the water flow in a newly developed MPL equipped with randomly arranged holes. A strong influence of these holes on the overall water transport was found. This contribution provides a brief overview to some of our recent activities on this research field.