3D Structural Imaging of Porous GDL of a Fuel Cell

Synchrotron X-ray computed tomography was employed to measure the volume variation of gas diffusion layer (GDL) for polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC). The study was conducted using 3D reconstruction (or a 3D rendering software) of orthoslice images. Especially, the temporal variation of structural parameters such as porosity was measured under freeze and thaw cycles. The freezing and thawing cycle were generated using a CRYO-system and an external light source alternatively. As a result, the structural parameters such varied significantly between the successive freeze/thaw cycles and irreversible change was also observed.