Hydrophilic microporous layer coatings for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells operating without anode humidification

In this study, a hydrophilic microporous layer (MPL) coating was applied to a commercial hydrophobic bi-layer gas diffusion layer (GDL). We investigated the effect of the hydrophilic MPL coating on membrane hydration and liquid water distribution within the GDLs during fuel cell operation without anode humidification, using fuel cell performance monitoring and simultaneous synchrotron X-ray visualization. The application of the hydrophilic …