Performance Enhancement in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells with the Grooved Gas Diffusion Layer

Effective water management is crucial for the performance enhancement of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), especially at high current densities. Reconstructing the gas diffusion layer (GDL) with grooves holds great potential for alleviating flooding and enhancing mass transfer. A detailed investigation is conducted around the groove geometry and distribution optimization to enhance the high current density performance of the cell. Novel optimization parameters are proposed, including aspect ratio, columns, and tolerance, to further enhance the water management performance of grooves while maintaining consistent GDL porosity through volume control of all grooves for stability. The results suggest that optimal groove parameters, including aspect ratio, column, and arithmetic progression distribution tolerance of 3, 4, and 0.0294 mm, achieve a significant enhancement in peak power density and current density at 0.4 V by 14.6 and 21.3%, respectively, while sacrificing only 5% of local current density uniformity.