High-performance Proton Exchange Membranes Research Articles

Investigations on heat and mass transfer in gas diffusion layers of PEMFC with a gas–liquid-solid coupled model

Improvement of heat and water management in gas diffusion layers (GDL) is a critical issue to high-performance proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). In this study, we develop a gas–liquid-solid coupled solver to simultaneously model the liquid water transport, vapor condensation, conjugate heat transfer, electric conduction and their interactions. A stochastic method is employed to reconstruct the 3D structural GDL. The compression effect on the geometry during assembly is included by applying a 10% compression deformation before converting to the solid fibrous zone in the simulation. The micro-porous layer (MPL) cracks are assumed to be the intake paths of the water transport. The impacts of the liquid water distribution on the heat transfer are investigated. For the whole heat transfer process, the heat conduction is the major approach through the solid fibrous layers both in dry and wet GDL, while the water transport accompanied heat conduction and convection are also crucial in wet GDL. However, the effects of water transport on the electrical conduction can be ignored due to the significant differences of the electrical conductivities between water and solid fibrous layers. Besides, the interactions between vapor condensation and heat transfer are explored, it is shown that the temperature of the fibers under the rib is lower than that of other fibers, leading to a higher condensate water saturation and a lager droplet size at the corresponding positions. The results presented here are significantly helpful to deepen our knowledge on the interactions between heat transfer and water transport, and guide the heat and water management in the PEMFC.

Nafion Composite Membranes Impregnated with Polydopamine and Poly(Sulfonated Dopamine) for High-Performance Proton Exchange Membranes.

We prepared Nafion composite membranes by impregnating Nafion-212 with polydopamine, poly(sulfonated dopamine), and poly(dopamine-co-sulfonated dopamine) using the swelling–filling method to generate nanopores in the Nafion framework that were filled with these polymers. Compared to the pristine Nafion-212 membrane, these composite membranes showed improved thermal and mechanical stabilities due to the strong interactions between the catecholamine of the polydopamine derivatives and the Nafion matrix. For the composite membrane filled with poly(sulfonated dopamine) (N-PSDA), further interactions were induced between the Nafion and the sulfonic acid side chain, resulting in enhanced water uptake and ion conductivity. In addition, filling the nanopores in the Nafion matrix with polymer fillers containing aromatic hydrocarbon-based dopamine units led to an increase in the degree of crystallinity and resulted in a significant decrease in the hydrogen permeability of the composite membranes compared to Nafion-212. Hydrogen crossovers 26.8% lower than Nafion-212 at 95% relative humidity (RH) (fuel cell operating conditions) and 27.3% lower at 100% RH (water electrolysis operating conditions) were obtained. When applied to proton exchange membrane-based fuel cells, N-PSDA exhibited a peak power density of 966 mW cm–2, whereas N-PSDA showed a current density of 4785 mA cm–2, which is 12.4% higher than Nafion-212 at 2.0 V and 80 °C.

Self-Assembly-Cooperating in Situ Construction of MXene–CeO2 as Hybrid Membrane Coating for Durable and High-Performance Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

Self-Assembly-Cooperating in Situ Construction of MXene–CeO₂ as Hybrid Membrane Coating for Durable and High-Performance Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

Development of a High-Performance Proton Exchange Membrane: From Structural Optimization to Quantity Production

Quantity production of low-cost and high-performance proton exchange membranes (PEMs) used in hydrogen fuel cells is the centerpiece step toward the hydrogen future. Herein, we developed a facile synthesis approach for this task. The prepared PEM breaks through the unfavorable trade-off between thermal-dimensional stability and proton conductivity due to the adequately designed hierarchical polymer structure composed of flexible ionic side-chains anchored onto twisted rigid backbone. Microscale topology structure analyses and molecular dynamics simulations indicate that the hydrated ionic groups self-assemble to form well-connected proton nanochannels. More importantly, the quantity production of the PEM is allowed with a pilot-scale production line. The PEM reaches a peak power density of 1.2 W cm–2 under the realistic low fuel gas flow in a single-cell of H2/O2 fuel cell. Additionally, the PEM maintains profitable fuel cell performance under lower relative humidity (1.1 and 0.9 W cm–2 peak power density at 80 and 60% relative humidity, respectively). In short, we report that a canonical form from the structural optimization of a PEM to the pilot-scale production in which the micromorphology-proton conduction relationship is fully explored.

High-performance proton exchange membrane fuel cell with ultra-low loading Pt on vertically aligned carbon nanotubes as integrated catalyst layer

Reducing a Pt loading with improved power output and durability is essential to promote the large-scale application of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). To achieve this goal, constructing optimized structure of catalyst layers with efficient mass transportation channels plays a vital role. Herein, PEMFCs with order-structured cathodic electrodes were fabricated by depositing Pt nanoparticles by E-beam onto vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) growth on Al foil via plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Results demonstrate that the proportion of hydrophilic Pt-deposited region along VACNTs and residual hydrophobic region of VANCTs without Pt strongly influences the cell performance, in particular at high current densities. When Pt nanoparticles deposit on the top depth of around 600 nm on VACNTs with a length of 4.6 μm, the cell shows the highest performance, compared with others with various lengths of VACNTs. It delivers a maximum power output of 1.61 W cm−2 (H2/O2, 150 kPa) and 0.79 W cm−2 (H2/Air, 150 kPa) at Pt loading of 50 μg cm−2, exceeding most of previously reported PEMFCs with Pt loading of < 100 μg cm−2. Even though the Pt loading is down to 30 μg cm−2 (1.36 W cm−2), the performance is also better than 100 μg cm−2 (1.24 W cm−2) of commercial Pt/C, and presents better stability. This excellent performance is critical attributed to the ordered hydrophobic region providing sufficient mass passages to facilitate the fast water drainage at high current densities. This work gives a new understanding for oxygen reduction reaction occurred in VACNTs-based ordered electrodes, demonstrating the most possibility to achieve a substantial reduction in Pt loading <100 μg cm−2 without sacrificing in performance.

Advances in proton exchange membranes in polyelectrolytefuel cells

<p indent="0mm">Polyelectrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) are promising devices for clean power generation in automotive, stationary, and portable applications. As a transition, the proton exchange membrane (PEM) is one of the important components in PEFCs, always promotes H⁺ ion transport, isolates the reaction gas (H₂ and O₂), and prevents electronic transmission between cathodes and anodes. Therefore, the performance of PEMs will directly affect the efficiency and stability of PEFCs, and the PEM with excellent performance is of great significance to PEFCs. Generally, PEMs should have extremely low gas permeability, high ion conductivity, fast water transmission and electrical insulation. To achieve this goal, PEM materials usually consist of three parts: Main chains, fixed groups, and ion exchange groups. Ion exchange groups provide faster ion transmission, while main chains and fixed groups endow PEMs with excellent chemical and mechanical stability for more stable mass transport in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Nowadays, due to better microphase separation (ordered arrangement between hydrophobic backbones and hydrophilic side chains), perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) membranes are the most widely used and commercialized PEMs. Moreover, to reduce the cost of PEMs, fluorine-containing PEMs and non-fluorine PEMs have been well developed. Specifically, the fluorine-containing PEMs with better microphase separation, fabricated by Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions or superacid catalysis methods, can provide high H⁺ conductivity and low cost. Surprisingly, some research has broken through the original H⁺ ion transport mechanism (Vehicular and Grotthuss mechanisms) and effectively improved the H⁺ ion transport rate by the modification of ion channels, such as polyrotaxane prepared via host-guest interactions, COFs-PEMs and PIMs-PEMs. This review mainly summarizes the research advances in PEMs in the past two decades. It starts from the principle of PEFCs and the important role of PEMs in PEFCs. The structural characteristics and mass transport characteristics of PEMs are then investigated while emphasizing the influence of molecular structures on the performance of PEFCs, mainly including PFSAPEMs, fluorine-containing PEMs and non-fluorine PEMs, as well as the recently developed new generation PEMs (polyrotaxane, COFs-PEMs and PIMs-PEMs). Meanwhile, the development and challenges of high-temperature proton exchange membranes (HT-PEMs) are introduced. HT-PEMs can effectively extend the operating temperature range of PEMFCs. HT-PEMFCs have attracted more attention due to several advantages, including improved electrode reaction kinetics, enhanced tolerance to fuel/air impurities, simple plate design, and better heat/water management. These advantages may mean the potential for using low Pt metal loading or even Pt metal free catalysts. Finally, according to the study of PEMs in recent years, this review looks forward to and predicts the direction of low-cost, high-performance PEMs in future. Up to now, although PEMs have been well developed, some performances are still not enough for the harsh environment during fuel cell operation, such as poor resistance to free radical, trade-off effects between cost and performance, and so on. Therefore, the development of PEMs should not only improve the H⁺ ionic conductivity, but also enhance the synergy between PEMs and other components in PEMFCs. Future research should focus on the performance of PEMs in the actual operating environment of PEMFCs.

Mesoscale hydrated morphology of perfluorosulfonic acid membranes

AbstractFuel cells are expected to play an important role in global carbon neutralization and future social development with high conversion efficiency and zero emissions. The core of the fuel cell is the proton exchange membrane (PEM). However, the unclear of the proton transport mechanism in PEMs limits the development of membranes with improved performance. Perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) membranes are currently the most widely used type of PEM, and exhibit varying proton transport capabilities with various chemical structures. In this study, the hydration morphology of several PFSA membranes was studied using dissipative particle dynamics. The result shows that under low water content the hydrophilic and hydrophobic phases separated and the water clusters are relatively isolated. The increased water content formed hydrophilic channels, while the increase in equivalent weight decreases the water cluster size and improves water dispersion. Aciplex 1128 shows great variation owing to the presence of a long sulfonic acid terminated side chain in water cluster size and dispersion compared with Nafion. The average diffusivity and mean square displacement results showed similar results. These results will promote the development of high performance PEM for fuel cells.

High-Performance Proton Exchange Membranes Based on Block Polybenzimidazole and Organic–Inorganic Fillers with a Low Acid Doping Level

High-Performance Proton Exchange Membranes Based on Block Polybenzimidazole and Organic–Inorganic Fillers with a Low Acid Doping Level

Reduced graphene oxide incorporated polyvinylidene fluoride/cellulose acetate proton exchange membrane for energy extraction using microbial fuel cells

A superior cost-effective cation exchange membrane based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), cellulose acetate (CA), and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) work as a superior cost-effective cation exchange membrane for the energy extraction application employing microbial fuel cells (MFCs). In this work, waste sugarcane bagasse was used to make CA, and the Tour technique was employed to make GO, which was then transformed to rGO using multiple modifications. To prepare cation exchange membranes, the CA and rGO were doped. The obtained proton conductivity values increased from 0.01 Scm−1 for rG0 to ∼ 0.4 Scm−1 for rG1 when the manufactured membranes were sulfonated. The combination of CA derived from sugarcane bagasse and rGO in the produced membranes may be attributed to this enhancement in proton conductivity. The power density performance of rG1 was compared to that of commercially available high-performance proton exchange membranes. It was revealed that MFC employing the rG1 membrane outperformed several more expensive membranes when it came to energy extraction using MFC. Without any electrode alteration, a columbic efficiency (CE) of 6.17 %, a COD removal efficiency of 92.0 ± 0.8% %, and a power density of more than 118 mW m−2 were reached. As a result, the constructed low-cost new PVDF-based, rGO, and CA membrane (rG1) shown its suitability for increasing MFC efficacy and is recommended for MFC scaling up.

Highly flat and highly homogeneous carbon paper with ultra-thin thickness for high-performance proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)

Gas diffusion layer is one of the most important components of fuel cell, which supports the catalytic layer, collects the current and facilitates mass transfer. However, current carbon paper is mainly composed of long carbon fibers (CF), which brings drawbacks including rough surface, poor body homogeneity, excessive thickness, and preparation difficulty, etc. In this research, we invent a combination method to produce a highly flat, highly homogeneous, ultra-thin and high-performance carbon paper for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The method combines the advantages of two materials, i.e. few-walled carbon nanotube (FWCNT) with high flatness and short CF with high porosity. And the combination method only contains three steps, material dispersion, carbon paper formation and heat treatment. The highest temperature for the heat treatment process is only 350 °C, which is much lower than the traditional 2000 °C. Due to the small size and fine distribution of FWCNT and CF, the new carbon paper exhibits highly flat (<6.4 μm in average), highly homogeneous (<3.6 μm in average), ultra-thin (<60 μm) properties, and high-performance in PEMFC. Therefore, this work shows that the optimized combination of several materials with outstanding properties could be used to prepare high performance carbon paper for PEMFC. • Preparation method of ultra-thin, highly flat and highly uniform carbon paper. • Contribution of FWCNT and short CF to thin, flat and uniform carbon paper surface. • Ohmic impedance and charge mass transfer impedance are the main factors. • Critical area in MEA are the two interfaces among the CL, GDL, and Nafion membrane.

Lens-Shaped Carbon Particles with Perpendicularly-Oriented Channels for High-Performance Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells.

Two-dimensional sheet-like mesoporous carbon particles are promising for maximizing the number of active sites and the mass transport efficiency of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Herein, we develop a series of lens-shaped mesoporous carbon (LMC) particles with perpendicularly oriented channels (diameter = 60 nm) and aspect ratios (ARs) varying from 2.1 to 6.2 and apply them for the fabrication of highly efficient PEMFCs. The membrane emulsification affords uniform-sized, lens-shaped block copolymer particles, which are successfully converted into the LMC particles with well-ordered vertical channels through hyper-cross-linking and carbonization steps. Then, an ultralow amount (1 wt %) of platinum (Pt) is loaded into the particles. The LMC particles with higher ARs are packed with a higher density in the cathode and are better aligned on the cathode surface compared to the LMC particles with lower ARs. Thus, the well-ordered channels in the particles facilitate the mass transport of the reactants and products, significantly increasing the PEMFC performance. For example, the LMC particles with the AR of 6.2 show the highest initial single cell performance of 1135 mW cm-2, and the cell exhibits high durability with 1039 mW cm-2 even after 30 000 cycles. This cell performance surpasses that of commercial Pt/C catalysts, even at 1/20 of the Pt loading.

Highly selective sulfonated Poly (arylene ether nitrile) composite membranes containing copper phthalocyanine grafted graphene oxide for direct methanol fuel cell

To improve the performances of sulfonated poly (arylene ether nitrile) (SPEN)–based proton exchange membranes (PEMs) in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), the copper phthalocyanine grafted graphene oxide (CP-GO) was successfully prepared via in situ polymerization and subsequently incorporated into SPEN as filler to fabricate a series of SPEN/CP-GO-X (X represents for the mass ratio of CP-GO) composite membranes. The water absorption, swelling ratio, mechanical properties, proton conductivity, and methanol permeability of the membranes were systematically studied. CP-GO possesses good dispersion and compatibility with SPEN matrix, which is propitious to the formation of strong interfacial interactions with the SPEN, so as to provide more efficient transport channels for proton transfer in the composite membranes and significantly improve the proton conductivity of the membranes. Besides, the strong π–π conjugation interactions between CP-GO and SPEN matrix can make the composite membranes more compact, blocking the methanol transfer in the membranes, and significantly reducing the methanol permeability. Consequently, the SPEN/CP-GO-1 composite membrane displayed outstanding tensile strength (58 MPa at 100% RH and 25°C), excellent proton conductivity (0.178 S cm−1 at 60°C), and superior selectivity (5.552 × 105 S·cm−3·s). This study proposed a new method and strategy for the preparation of high performance PEMs.

Site-density engineering of single-atomic iron catalysts for high-performance proton exchange membrane fuel cells

The design and development of highly efficient non-precious metal single-atomic ORR catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are highly desirable but challenging. Herein, we report a novel polydopamine (PDA)-metal complex-assisted pyrolysis strategy for producing zeolitic imidazolate framework-derived catalysts with a hierarchically porous carbon support and highly exposed dense-FeN4 sites (Z8@DA-FIP-950-C). The resultant Z8@DA-FIP-950-C catalyst shows remarkably enhanced performance for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with a half-wave potential (E1/2) of 0.828 V in 0.1 M HClO4 solution, which is close to commercial 20 wt% Pt/C catalyst. Impressively, the Z8@DA-FIP-950-C exhibits peak power densities of 982 and 454 mW cm−2 in H2/O2 and H2/air PEMFCs, respectively, which are superior to most of non-precious metal catalysts reported to date. In addition, we construct the quantitative relationship between the active site activity and ORR performance, and prove the dominating role of the FeN4 site density to the observed excellent PEMFC performance. This work demonstrates a facile strategy to prepare the 3D hierarchically porous carbons with a maximized exposure of high-dense FeN4 sites (without acid treatment), providing a useful guidance for the design and development of novel highly-efficient single-atom catalysts for the renewable energy applications.

An enhanced stability and efficiency of SPEEK-based composite membrane influenced by amphoteric side-chain polymer for vanadium redox flow battery

Sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) based composite membranes for vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) are fabricated through blending various contents of sulfonated poly (aryl ether sulfone) (SPAES) containing sulfoalkylamine chains. Influenced by the pendant sulfoalkyl groups of SPAES, an enhanced synergistic proton transport channel is formed, showing a trade-off balance between proton conductivity and permeability. The SPEEK/SPAES-15 membrane exhibits the highest ion selectivity (28.8 × 103 S min cm−3) against pristine SPEEK (3.9 × 103 S min cm−3), Nafion 117 (4.0 × 103 S min cm−3), and Nafion 212 (3.0 × 103 S min cm−3). And, the SPEEK/SPAES-15 membrane gives much higher coulombic efficiencies (CE: 96.0–99.0%) and energy efficiencies (EE: 87.2-70.3%) at the current density from 60 to 200 mA cm−2, which is attributed to the increased proton conductivity and ion selectivity, and the decreased permeability. Even at a high current density of 150 mA cm−2, a stable 75.0% EE is realized, and it maintains the good structural stability and durability after 600-time charge-discharge cycles. This proves that it is a facile technique to approach the high-performance proton exchange membrane by regulating the synergistic sulfonic acid proton network.

Constructing interconnected nanofibers@ZIF-67 superstructure in nafion membranes for accelerating proton transport and confining methanol permeation

A high-performance proton exchange membrane was successfully prepared by incorporating an interconnected PMIA nanofiber@ZIF-8 network (ZHNFs) into Nafion solution, in which the unique ZHNFs were fabricated via in-situ growth of ZIF-67 on the surface of hierarchical PMIA nanofibers (HNFs) with multiscale nanofibers and high hydrophilicity. The hybrid membrane presents an outstanding performance with a peak proton conductivity of 0.277 S cm−1 at 80 °C, 100RH% and a decreased methanol permeability of 1.415 × 10−7 cm2 s−1, implying a promising application in direct methanol fuel cells. The superior performance of the membranes could be due to the interconnected structure, high specific surface area of 122.637 m2 g−1 and active chemical bond of (−N–H) of ZHNFs. Specifically, the 3D interconnected structure of ZHNFs provides consecutive conduction path for protons, ensuring the improvement of proton conductivity. The effective interfacial acid-base pairs (−N–H … −SO3H) formed via the tight interactions between the –N–H bonds in ZHNFs and –SO3H groups in Nafion matrix could effectively ameliorate the compatibility of the nanofiber fillers and Nafion matrix, further promoting the methanol barrier of the hybrid membranes. Moreover, the generated acid-base pairs are beneficial for the efficient and rapid proton transfer via providing abundant proton conducting sites.

Enhancing oxygen transport in the ionomer film on platinum catalyst using ionic liquid additives

The O2 permeation barrier across the nanoscale ionomer films on electrocatalysts contributes to a major performance loss of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells under low Pt loading. Enhancing O2 transport through the ionomer films is essential for developing low Pt loading catalyst materials in high-performance PEM fuel cells. This study found that adding an ionic liquid (IL) can effectively mitigate the dense ionomer ultrathin sublayer formed on the Pt surface, which severely hinders O2 transport to the catalyst sites. The molecular dynamics simulation results show that adding the IL significantly alters the ionomer ultrathin sublayer structure by inhibiting its tight arrangement of perfluorosulfonic acid chains but scarcely impacts the ultrathin sublayer thickness. Additionally, the IL addition provides a larger free space for O2 dissolution in the ultrathin sublayer. Consequently, due to IL molecules’ presence, the O2 density in the ultrathin sublayer on the Pt surface is improved by an order of magnitude, which will benefit the catalytic efficiency, and the O2 permeation flux across the ionomer film is increased by up to 8 times, which will reduce the O2 transport loss of the catalyst layer.

Self-assembly of metal-organic framework onto nanofibrous mats to enhance proton conductivity for proton exchange membrane

Constructing consecutive proton-conducting nanochannels and optimizing nanophase-separation within proton exchange membrane (PEM) was of guiding significance for improving proton transfer. Metal organic framework (MOF), as a novel and functional material had drawn increasing attention in the research of proton PEM because of its flexible tunability and designability. Herein, a novel MOF-based nanofibrous mats (NFMs) were prepared by the self-assembly of zeolitic imidazole framework-67 (ZIF-67) onto polyacrylonitrile (PAN) NFMs. Subsequently, the ZIF-67 NFMs were incorporated into Nafion matrix to prepare ZIF-67@Nafion composite membrane which aimed at constructing consecutive proton-conducting channels. Especially, the acid–base pairs between N–H (ZIF-67 NFMs) and –SO3H (Nafion) could promote the protonation/deprotonation and subsequent proton leaping via Grotthuss mechanisms. As expected, the ZIF-67@Nafion-5 composite membrane showed a promising proton conductivity of 288 mS/cm at 80 °C and 100% RH, low methanol permeability of 7.98 × 10−7 cm2s−1, and superior power density of 298.68 mW/cm2 at 80 °C and 100% RH. In addition, the resulting composite membrane exhibited considerable enhancement in thermal stability and dimensional stability. This promising strategy provided a valuable reference for designing high-performance PEMs.

Spindle-like MOFs-derived porous carbon filled sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone): A high performance proton exchange membrane for direct methanol fuel cells

The sulfonated spindle-like carbon derived from metal-organic framework, MOF-C-SO3H, has been employed as a filler for the SPEEK membrane. The obtained MOF-C-SO3H@SPEEK membrane shows improved properties as a PEM for DMFCs. In particular, with the presence of 3.0 wt% of MOF-C-SO3H, the MOF-C-SO3H@SPEEK membrane can exhibit higher proton conductivity and much lower methanol permeability than Nafion 115. The specific porous and sulfonated carbon structure is believed to play an important role in the high performance of the MOF-C-SO3H@SPEEK membrane. It helps the good dispersion of MOF-C-SO3H in the SPEEK matrix, decreasing the swelling ratio and methanol permeability of the membrane, and promotes the transport of protons through the membrane, improving the proton conductivity of the membrane. More interestingly, when used in the DMFCs, it can give maximum power density of 83.91 mW cm−2, which is ~50% higher than that of Nafion 115. This, together with its higher stability of the DMFC with the MOF-C-SO3H@SPEEK membrane than that with Nafion 115, suggests that the MOF-C-SO3H@SPEEK membrane is a promising proton exchange membrane for fuel cells.

Optimizing the Mass-Transfer Efficiency of a Microporous Layer for High-Performance Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Optimizing the Mass-Transfer Efficiency of a Microporous Layer for High-Performance Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Combining Baffles and Secondary Porous Layers for Performance Enhancement of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

A numerical study is conducted to compare the current most popular flow field configurations, porous, biporous, porous with baffles, Toyota 3D fine-mesh, and traditional rectangular flow field. Operation at high current densities is considered to elucidate the effect of the flow field designs on the overall heat transfer and liquid water removal. A comprehensive 3D, multiphase, nonisothermal computational fluid dynamics model is developed based on up-to-date heat and mass transfer sub-models, incorporating the complete formulation of the Forchheimer inertial effect and the permeability ratio of the biporous layers. The porous and baffled flow field improves the cell performance by minimizing mass transport losses, enhancing the water removal from the diffusion layers. The baffled flow field is chosen for optimization owing to the simple design and low manufacturing cost. A total of 49 configurations were mutually compared in the design of experiments to show the quantitative effect of each parameter on the performance of the baffled flow field. The results elucidate the significant influence of small geometry modifications on the overall heat and mass transfer. The results of different cases have shown that water saturation can be decreased by up to 33.59% and maximal temperature by 7.91 °C when compared to the reference case which is already characterized by very high performance. The most influencing geometry parameters of the baffles on the cell performance are revealed. The best case of the 49 studied cases is further optimized by introducing a linear scaling factor. Additional geometry modifications demonstrate that the gain in performance can be increased, but at a cost of higher pressure drop and increased design complexity. The conclusions of this work aids in the development of compact and high-performance proton exchange membrane fuel cell stacks.