Numerical investigation of microporous layer structure on mass transport and durability in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers

Zhang Lei; Cheng Youliang; Zhang Yipeng; Ju Chen; Yang Tianrang

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Numerical investigation of microporous layer structure on mass transport and durability in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers

Updated：2026-09-17

- Numerical investigation of microporous layer structure on mass transport and durability in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers
- Numerical investigation of microporous layer structure on mass transport and durability in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers
- 中国化学工程学报（英文） 2026年95卷第7期页码：23-40
- Affiliations：
  
  Beijing Laboratory of New Energy Storage Technology, Institute of Energy Power Innovation, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
  Key Laboratory of Energy Storage and Integrated Energy Systems North China Electric Power University, Baoding 071003, China
- Author bio：
  
  *Corresponding author.E-mail address:ylcheng@ncepu.edu.cn(Y. Cheng).
- Funds：
  
  the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2023YFB4005000)
- DOI：
  中图分类号：
- 收稿：2025-10-27，
  
  修回：2026-02-02，
  
  录用：2026-02-10，
  
  网络首发：2026-03-10，
  
  纸质出版：2026-07
- Accepted：
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Zhang Lei, Cheng Youliang, Zhang Yipeng, 等. Numerical investigation of microporous layer structure on mass transport and durability in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers[J]. 中国化学工程学报（英文）, 2026,95(7):23-40.

Zhang Lei, Cheng Youliang, Zhang Yipeng, et al. Numerical investigation of microporous layer structure on mass transport and durability in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2026, 95(7): 23-40.
Zhang Lei, Cheng Youliang, Zhang Yipeng, 等. Numerical investigation of microporous layer structure on mass transport and durability in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers[J]. 中国化学工程学报（英文）, 2026,95(7):23-40. DOI：

Zhang Lei, Cheng Youliang, Zhang Yipeng, et al. Numerical investigation of microporous layer structure on mass transport and durability in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2026, 95(7): 23-40. DOI：

摘要

Abstract

Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) are considered a core technology for high-purity hydrogen production and renewable energy integration. Their performance and durability are strongly governed by electrode microstructural design. To address systematic studies on the role of the microporous layer (MPL) in electrolyzers gap

we develop a two-dimensional

two-phase

multiphysicscoupled model to investigate how MPL location

thickness

porosity

and wettability affect electrolysis performance

oxygen distribution

and the pressure difference across the membrane. The results show that the effect of the anode MPL is significantly stronger than that of the cathode

effectively improving oxygen distribution uniformity by 16.3%

reducing liquid water saturation at the anode

and optimizing gas—liquid co-transport. Increasing the MPL thickness markedly enhances the oxygen mole fraction in the catalyst layer and improves distribution uniformity; however

excessive thickness or extreme hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity leads to performance deterioration. More importantly

the presence of the anode MPL reduces the transmembrane gas pressure difference by up to 50%. In addition

the thickness

porosity

and hydrophobicity synergistic optimization can improve efficiency while enhancing safety and durability at high current densities. The optimal AMPL parameters are proposed as the thickness of 50—90 μm

contact angle of 80◦

and porosity of 0.2—0.3. This study provides theoretical insights and practical guidance for electrode microstructural design in PEMWEs

with important implications for large-scale applications.

关键词

Keywords

references

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