The GDL in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell provides a steady supply of gas to the catalyst layers, which are located on both sides of the ion exchange membrane and which convert hydrogen and oxygen into electrical energy and water. The GDLs also aid water vapor reaching the membrane (thereby increasing ionic conductivity) and also facilitate the removal of produced water. The reactants diffuse from the gas channels to the catalyst layer; the generated water must travel from the catalyst layer to the gas channels.

GDLs are positioned between the catalyst layer in the cell and the gas flow channel; its structure controls catalyst utilization and overall fuel cell performance.

In a 2012 review of GDL materials and designs, a team from the University of South Carolina noted that:

With increasing interests in effective water management through the GDL in PEM fuel cells, it is necessary to shine light on the subject of novel materials and lead architecture in the GDL which could maximize performance and stability in PEM fuel cells.

—Park et al.

The INSPIRE project, which kicked-off in May 2016, is being carried out under the coordination of Johnson Matthey, a leading manufacturer of catalyst coated membrane units, as well as other companies such as the BMW Group and Dana Holding Corporation (Neu-Ulm), along with several scientific research organizations (CNRS Montpellier, TU Berlin, TU Munich, University of Freiburg, VTT Espoo) and the SME Pretexo.

Specific objectives are:

• To deliver an increased automotive beginning of life (BOL) power density of 1.5 W/cm² at 0.6 V.

• To demonstrate the ability of the stack to achieve more than 6,000 hours operation with less than 10% power degradation, over an operationally-relevant drive cycle.

• To provide a cost assessment study that demonstrates the stack can achieve the automotive stack production cost below the target of 50 €/kW for an annual production rate of 50,000 units.

• To progress the establishment of a series of new stack materials and components from laboratory demonstration to full demonstration of scaled materials in practical fuel cell hardware under relevant conditions, involving continued development and optimisation of the technology and demonstrating the manufacturing scalability.

Dana is developing an optimized design of metallic bipolar plate that delivers the hydrogen and air to the MEA and transmits the electricity generated to power the vehicle. BMW Group is setting out the requirements for the stack and will assemble the MEAs and bipolar plates into new stack designs aimed at achieving the cost, durability and volumetric power density targets required for mass market exploitation.

CNRS Montpellier, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., Technical University of Munich, Technical University of Berlin and the University of Freiburg are working on next-generation catalysts, electrodes and membranes. Project management support is being provided by Pretexo.

In addition to the focus on development, the partners will also be concentrating on establishing a common European supply chain for these critical components; namely the membrane, catalyst, gas diffusion layers and bipolar plates. With this step the capability of serial production will also be demonstrated.

INSPIRE, with high-profile partners from the fields of science and industry, offers an excellent platform to accelerate the utilization of fuel cell technology with its innovative materials and components. For SGL Group, it highlights our entrepreneurial claim to play a key role in shaping developments in the megatrends of mobility and energy supply. These include not only graphite anode material for lithium ion batteries and carbon fiber composites for lightweight-construction passenger compartments, but also our gas diffusion layers for alternative drive technologies based on hydrogen.

—Dr. Gerd Wingefeld, Chief Technology Officer at SGL Group

INSPIRE will make an invited presentation during the European Fuel Cell Car Workshop (EFCW2017), 1-3 March 2017, Orléans, France, organized by the FCH JU SMARTCat Project.

Resources

• Sehkyu Park, Jong-Won Lee, Branko N. Popov (2012) “A review of gas diffusion layer in PEM fuel cells: Materials and designs,” International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 37, Issue 7, Pages 5850-5865 doi: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2011.12.148