Thermal conductivity in the three layered regions of micro porous layer coated porous transport layers for the PEM fuel cell

摘要

Thermal conductivity of the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) components has achieved increased attention over the past decade. Despite the fact that the PEMFC itself (between the gas flow plates) is less than a millimetre in thickness, several C temperature differences can arise inside it during operation. These temperature differences mainly arise across the porous transport layers (PTL) often also referred to as gas diffusion layers (GDL). Several research efforts have led to a good understanding of the thermal conductivity of the PTL; in particular to how this property changes with compression, temperature, PTFE content, different fabrics, and water content. Far less attention has been given to the thermal conductivity of the much thinner layered micro porous layer (MPL) and in particular to the thermal conductivity of the transitional region between the PTL and the MPL.