What Is Gas Diffusion Layer? What Are Its Industrial Applications?

 

Gas Diffusion Layer

The Gas Diffusion Layer is a critical component in the fuel cell. Its main function is to ensure that reactants such as hydrogen and oxygen are transported to the active phase of the electrocatalysts. It also serves as a means of water management, by helping to eliminate water from the active sites. It can be used in a variety of applications, including hydrogen/oxygen air fuel cells and polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. The layer is usually made of carbon microparticles, which are coated with hydrophobic agents. These materials can be manufactured in a variety of ways, depending on the application.

Typically, a conventional carbon substrate for a diffusion layer is manufactured through a general papermaking process. In addition, the material may be impregnated with a water-repellent polymer resin, which can be an aqueous fluorine-based resin or a polytetrafluoroethylene-based resin. In addition to improving water discharge capability, such a carbon substrate may enhance the bending strength of the Gas Diffusion Layer.

It is a crucial supporting material in the membrane electrode assembly. The fuel cell uses the layer to help manage the generation of water and to provide easy access to the catalyst for fuel gas. In addition, the layer may be designed to have a specific pore size distribution. Compared with a conventional carbon substrate, the gas diffusion layer of a fuel cell with the carbon substrate in a microporous layered structure has a porosity gradient across its thickness. This may improve the performance of the cell by decreasing sudden cell performance deterioration.

The permeability of the microporous layer can be controlled by the amount of them expandable graphite. Moreover, a hydrophobic treatment can be implemented to support water management in the membrane. The first microporous layer of the gas diffusion layer includes a relatively high concentration of thermoexpandable graphite. The second microporous layer consists of a lower concentration of thermoexpandable graphite and contains a mixture of PTFE particles. These two microporous layers and Gas Diffusion Layer were then thermally treated at 350 deg C for 30 minutes.

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