A nonequilibrium force-balance model for water transport within a Nafion-type polymer electrolyte membrane ͑PEM͒ fuel cell is developed. The model combines earlier work of Choi et al., which describes the Schroeder paradox in terms of a capillary pressure jump, with a pressure-based description of water transport, including the partitioning of external pressure between the polymer backbone and the liquid water. The model shows that mechanical compression of the membrane leads to a more uniform distribution of water through the thickness of the membrane, compressing the wetter and more plastic cathode side more than the drier anode side.
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