Hussain Javid, Kim Dae-Kyeom, Park Sangmin, Khalid Muhammad Waqas, Hussain Sayed-Sajid, Ali Ammad, Lee Bin, Song Myungsuk, Kim Taek-Soo
Industrial Technology, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea.
Korea Institute for Rare Metals, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Incheon 21999, Republic of Korea.
Materials (Basel). 2023 Jun 23;16(13):4554. doi: 10.3390/ma16134554.
Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and PEM electrolyzer are emerging technologies that produce energy with zero carbon emissions. However, the commercial feasibility of these technologies mostly relies on their efficiency, which is determined by individual parts, including the gas diffusion layer (GDL). GDL transfers fluid and charges while protecting other components form flooding and corrosion. As there is a very limited attention toward the simulation work, in this work, a novel approach was utilized that combines simulation and experimental techniques to optimize the sintering temperature of GDL. Ti GDL was produced through tape casting, a commercial method famous for producing precise thickness, uniform, and high-quality films and parameters such as slurry composition and rheology, casting parameters, drying, and debinding were optimized. The porosity and mechanical properties of the samples were tested experimentally at various sintering temperatures. The experimental results were compared with the simulated results achieved from the GeoDict simulation tool, showing around 96% accuracy, indicating that employing GeoDict to optimize the properties of Ti GDL produced via tape casting is a critical step towards the commercial feasibility of PEMFCs and electrolyzer. These findings significantly contribute to the development of sustainable energy solutions.
聚合物电解质膜燃料电池（PEMFCs）和PEM电解槽是新兴技术，可实现零碳排放的能源生产。然而，这些技术的商业可行性主要取决于其效率，而效率又由包括气体扩散层（GDL）在内的各个部件决定。GDL在传输流体和电荷的同时，保护其他部件免受水淹和腐蚀。由于对模拟工作的关注非常有限，在本研究中，采用了一种将模拟和实验技术相结合的新方法来优化GDL的烧结温度。通过流延成型制备了钛基气体扩散层，流延成型是一种以生产精确厚度、均匀且高质量薄膜而闻名的商业方法，并对浆料组成和流变学、流延参数、干燥和脱脂等参数进行了优化。在不同烧结温度下对样品的孔隙率和力学性能进行了实验测试。将实验结果与使用GeoDict模拟工具获得的模拟结果进行比较，显示出约96%的准确率，这表明使用GeoDict优化通过流延成型制备的钛基气体扩散层的性能是迈向PEMFCs和电解槽商业可行性的关键一步。这些发现对可持续能源解决方案的发展具有重要意义。
