Control of Liquid Water Transport in Cathode of PEFC Using Wettability-Patterned Electrodes

Abstract

To address the issue of flooding in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), it becomes imperative to devise an electrode structure capable of actively removing accumulated liquid water within the gas diffusion electrode (GDE). This study aimed to construct a wettability patterned electrode by applying a hydrophilic solution onto the cathode-side gas diffusion layer (GDL). Furthermore, the distribution of liquid water within the patterned electrode during PEFC operation was visualized using X-ray imaging and image processing technology. As a result, it was confirmed that the introduction of a wettability patterned electrode structure enables liquid water transport control during operation and reduces the saturation of liquid water around the hydrophilic region.