The performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells with curved membrane electrode assemblies: Considering various gas diffusion layer and thermal contact resistance thicknesses

This study investigates the influence of thermal contact resistance (TCR) and gas diffusion layer (GDL) thickness on the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) with curved membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) under varying pressure differences, using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. These results show that increasing TCR thickness (0–3 μm) enlarges the high-temperature region at low and moderate voltages, reducing membrane water content and proton conductivity, thereby degrading performance. At high voltages, performance remains stable due to minimal thermal variation. With constant TCR, increasing pressure difference (0–30 kPa) affects oxygen transport resistance and distribution only at low voltages. GDL thickness significantly impacts performance: thinner GDLs (0.1 mm) benefit from pressure-induced gaps enhancing oxygen transport, while thicker GDLs (0.2–0.3 mm) lead to reduced pore volume and higher resistance, especially under elevated pressure, thus lowering performance. These findings reveal new insights into the interplay between mechanical deformation and multi-physical transport in PEMFCs with curved MEAs.