Ercelik, M. orcid.org/0000-0002-7702-1825, Ismail, M.S. orcid.org/0000-0002-9539-8925, Ingham, D.B. orcid.org/0000-0002-4633-0852 et al. (3 more authors) (2023) Efficient X-ray CT-based numerical computations of structural and mass transport properties of nickel foam-based GDLs for PEFCs. Energy, 262, Part B. 125531. ISSN: 0360-5442
Abstract
Nickel foams are excellent candidate materials for gas diffusion layers (GDLs) for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) and this is due to their superior structural and transport properties. A highly computationally-efficient framework has been developed to not only estimate the key structural and mass transport properties but also to examine the multi-dimensional uniformity and/or the isotropy of these properties. Specifically, multiple two-dimensional X-ray CT images and/or numerical models have been used to computationally determine the porosity, the tortuosity, the pore size distribution, the ligament thickness, the specific surface area, the gas permeability and the effective diffusivity of a typical nickel foam sample. The results show that, compared to the conventionally used carbon substrate, the nickel foam sample demonstrate a high degree of uniformity and isotropy and that it has superior structural and mass transport properties, thus underpinning its candidacy as a GDL material for PEFCs. All the computationally-estimated properties, which were found to be consistent with the corresponding literature data, have been presented and thoroughly discussed.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022 The Authors. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Polymer electrolyte fuel cell; Gas diffusion layer; Nickel foam; X-ray computed tomography; Structural characteristics; Mass transport characteristics |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > Department of Mechanical Engineering (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 29 Aug 2025 13:50 |
Last Modified: | 29 Aug 2025 13:50 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier BV |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.energy.2022.125531 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:230769 |