Investigations on the Morphology and Water Inventory of GDLs Using µ-Computer Tomography and Monte Carlo Modeling

Abstract

The water inventory of a GDL plays an important role with respect to both gas diffusion properties and water saturation level of the MEA. In this paper, investigations on the morphology and on the water inventory of GDLs are reported. Based on image data obtained from µ-CT-experiments, 3D GDL structures were reconstructed and used for further analysis. Furthermore, the water inventory of the GDL was modeled using a Monte Carlo (MC) method. Both experimental (µ-CT) and modeling approaches are presented and discussed. Data on pressure dependent pore radius and water distribution are reported. Moreover, the dependence of the water inventory upon the operating conditions is discussed.