The through-plane thermal conductivity and the contact resistance of the components of the membrane electrode assembly and gas diffusion layer in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

The thermal conductivity of the components of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and GDL must be accurately estimated in order to better understand the heat transfer processes in the proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. In this study, an experimental investigation has been performed to measure the through-plane thermal conductivity and the contact resistance for a number of gas diffusion layer (GDL) materials. The sensitivity of these quantities to the temperature, PTFE content and micro porous layer (MPL) coating has been undertaken. In addition, the through-plane thermal conductivity of the membrane has been measured and reported as a function of temperature and water content. Further, the through-plane thermal conductivity of the catalyst layer has been determined as a function of temperature and platinum loading. It has been found that the through-plane thermal conductivity of the components of the MEA decreases when the temperature increases, and the through-plane thermal conductivity of the GDL is significantly lower than its in-plane thermal conductivity.