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<p>Assembly pressure is a critical operating parameter in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Although compression is known to affect gas diffusion layer (GDL) transport properties, the effects of the resulting anisotropic transport losses on high-current-density cell performance remain unclear. Here, a numerical and experimental investigation framework was established. This framework enables the compression-induced evolution of in-plane and through-plane transport properties to be linked directly to concentration polarization and oxygen distribution in the cell. The results demonstrate a dual effect of assembly pressure: while it improves interfacial electrical contact and reduces contact resistance, it also considerably impairs mass transport in the under-rib region. Under 1&#xa0;MPa compression, the in-plane and through-plane gas permeability of the GDL decreased by 52% and 33.6%, respectively, relative to the uncompressed state, while the corresponding effective diffusion coefficients declined by 33% and 14%. At an operating voltage of 0.4&#xa0;V, increasing the assembly pressure from 0.5&#xa0;MPa to 1&#xa0;MPa raised the oxygen concentration non-uniformity in the outlet region by 31.77%. More importantly, the in-plane effective diffusion coefficient was found to exert a substantially stronger influence on cell performance than its through-plane counterpart under compression. This work provides a theoretical basis for the structural optimization of GDLs and the design of assembly processes for high-power-density fuel cells.</p>

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Numerical and experimental investigation of anisotropic mass transfer properties in gas diffusion layers of proton exchange membrane fuel cells under assembly pressure

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月9日

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  • Meilin Pan,
  • Yirui Lu,
  • Daijun Yang,
  • Fumin Tang,
  • Pingwen Ming,
  • Bing Li,
  • Cunman Zhang

摘要

Assembly pressure is a critical operating parameter in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Although compression is known to affect gas diffusion layer (GDL) transport properties, the effects of the resulting anisotropic transport losses on high-current-density cell performance remain unclear. Here, a numerical and experimental investigation framework was established. This framework enables the compression-induced evolution of in-plane and through-plane transport properties to be linked directly to concentration polarization and oxygen distribution in the cell. The results demonstrate a dual effect of assembly pressure: while it improves interfacial electrical contact and reduces contact resistance, it also considerably impairs mass transport in the under-rib region. Under 1 MPa compression, the in-plane and through-plane gas permeability of the GDL decreased by 52% and 33.6%, respectively, relative to the uncompressed state, while the corresponding effective diffusion coefficients declined by 33% and 14%. At an operating voltage of 0.4 V, increasing the assembly pressure from 0.5 MPa to 1 MPa raised the oxygen concentration non-uniformity in the outlet region by 31.77%. More importantly, the in-plane effective diffusion coefficient was found to exert a substantially stronger influence on cell performance than its through-plane counterpart under compression. This work provides a theoretical basis for the structural optimization of GDLs and the design of assembly processes for high-power-density fuel cells.