Influence of Key Parameters of GDL on Performance of Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolytic Cells

Anion exchange membrane electrolyzer (AEMEC) is a promising hydrogen production technology device. An electrochemical model is developed using MATLAB/Simulink to analyze the impact of factors such as anion exchange membrane (AEM) thickness, operating temperature, pressure, and gas diffusion layer (GDL) parameters including GDL thickness, porosity, and pore size. The results showed that as the thickness of AEM, operating pressure, and GDL decreased, the electrolysis efficiency significantly improved, and energy consumption decreased. When the thickness of AEM decreases from 70 microns to 65 microns, it will cause a decrease of 24 mV in cell voltage. This study also found that increasing pressure slightly increases voltage due to higher diffusion overpotential. In addition, changes in GDL porosity and pore size have a significant impact on performance. The lower porosity reduces ohmic loss and improves efficiency. This study highlights the importance of optimizing the design of AEMEC components to improve hydrogen production performance.