Regulating Water Transport Paths on Porous Transport Layer by Hydrophilic Patterning for Highly Efficient Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cells.

ABSTRACT: While unitized regenerative fuel cells (URFCs) are promising for renewable energy storage, their efficient operation requires simultaneous water management and gas transport, which is challenging from the standpoint of water management. Herein, a novel approach is introduced for examining the alignment hydrophilic pattern of a Ti porous transport layer (PTL) with the flow field of a bipolar plate (BP). UV/ozone patterning and is employed to impart amphiphilic characteristics to the hydrophobic silanized Ti PTL, enabling low-cost and scalable fabrication. The hydrophilic pattern and its alignment with the BP are comprehensively analyzed using electrochemical methods and computational simulations. Notably, the serpentine-patterned (SP) Ti PTL, wherein the hydrophilic channel is directly alig

SUBMITTER: Lee SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11911311 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature