Preventing the accumulation of water in the gas diffusion layer (GDL) proves effective in enhancing the performance of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). To understand the water transport phenomena in GDLs and channels of PEFCs, cell hardware for operando synchrotron X-ray radiography was developed with a 100 mm channel length, facilitating the separate quantification of liquid water in the cathode and anode GDLs. The presence of liquid water in the cathode and anode GDLs was confirmed during operation with a supply of dry gas in a counter-flow configuration. Furthermore, the amount of liquid water in the cathode and anode GDLs increased toward the cathode inlet, while the amount of water in the cathode and anode channel regions increased toward each outlet. The liquid water distribution in the GDLs along the channel direction can be attributed to water transport from cathode to anode (back-diffusion), decreasing toward the anode outlet. Therefore, conducting radiography experiments aligned parallel to the GDLs and perpendicular to the channel could provide valuable insights for a more comprehensive understanding of water transport in cells.

中文翻译：

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100 mm 聚合物电解质燃料电池通道中液态水分布的操作 X 射线照相


事实证明，防止气体扩散层（GDL）中水的积聚可有效提高聚合物电解质燃料电池（PEFC）的性能。为了了解 GDL 和 PEFC 通道中的水传输现象，开发了用于操作同步加速器 X 射线照相的电池硬件，通道长度为 100 毫米，便于对阴极和阳极 GDL 中的液态水进行单独定量。在以逆流配置供应干燥气体的操作过程中，证实了阴极和阳极 GDL 中存在液态水。此外，阴极和阳极GDL中的液态水量朝向阴极入口增加，而阴极和阳极通道区域中的水量朝向每个出口增加。 GDL 中的液态水沿通道方向的分布可归因于水从阴极传输到阳极（反向扩散），并朝着阳极出口减少。因此，进行平行于 GDL 和垂直于通道的射线照相实验可以为更全面地了解细胞中的水传输提供有价值的见解。