Abstract
We investigated the effects of the microporous layer (MPL) and the gas flow configuration on water transport in an operating polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell by means of tunable diode-laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS). TDLAS, which permits optical remote sensing of the distribution of the water vapor concentration along a channel, was used to examine local through-plane water transport across the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). TDLAS observations showed that an MPL at the cathode side enhances back-transport of water generated at the cathode to the anode under conditions of low relative humidity in both co-flow and counter-flow configurations, because it acts as a mass-transport resistance in the MEA. We also showed that the counter-flow configuration established an internal circulation of water in the fuel cell.
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