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Fuel Cell Systems Lab
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The lab improves fuel cells and water electrolyzers from a mechanical engineering perspective.
AboutAbout the lab
Fuel cells and water electrolysis for the next energy society
The Fuel Cell Systems Lab studies electrochemical energy conversion devices such as fuel cells and water electrolyzers.
These devices are highly efficient regardless of scale, quiet, and reliable, so they are expected to be at the core of the next-generation energy society.
To bring them into widespread use, the lab works on reducing costs and improving durability and performance, taking the perspective of system engineers grounded in mechanical engineering.
Key terms
- Water electrolysis
- Splitting water with electricity to produce hydrogen and oxygen
- Gas diffusion layer
- A porous layer on the outer side of a fuel cell electrode. It lets gas pass through and drains the water that is produced
- Microporous layer
- A layer with fine pores applied to the surface of a gas diffusion layer. It regulates the movement of water in and out
ResearchResearch themes
Using an approach based on mechanical engineering, the lab carries out research and development on fuel cells and water electrolyzers from the standpoint of system engineers. It studies the movement of gas and liquid inside the devices and the design of fuel cell components.
*Illustrative imageMovement of Water and Gas Inside the Device
When water or gas becomes blocked inside a fuel cell or water electrolyzer, performance drops. The lab captures the movement of gas and liquid inside the device using measurement and observation methods it has developed itself, together with numerical analysis, and aims to improve performance.
*Illustrative imageDesign of Gas Diffusion Layers for Fuel Cells
The lab varies the composition, pore size, and thickness of gas diffusion layers coated with a microporous layer, and examines how these changes affect how easily water and gas pass through. It aims to establish design guidelines for layers that resist drying out even without humidification.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Fuel Cell Systems Lab are faculty members, technical officers, technical staff, administrative assistants, research fellows, doctoral and master's students, and research students.As of 2025
- ProfessorKohei Ito
- Associate ProfessorTatsumi Kitahara
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Volvo FH fuel cell testing (2023)” Anders Jubilson / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Movement of Water and Gas Inside the Device: “Wasserzersetzer (Firma LCEM)” Rhetos / CC0 (cropped)
- Design of Gas Diffusion Layers for Fuel Cells: “Cross-Section of Membrane Electrode Assembly Layers” CFA213FCE / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (水素利用プロセス研究室): “Billings Hydrogen Bus” Warren K. Leffler / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (先進水素システム研究室): “Giant prominence on the sun erupted” NASA/SDO/AIA/Goddard Space Flight Center / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (水素貯蔵システム研究室): “Eggshell” TeWeBs / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (水素製造プロセス研究室): “Unterschiedliche Keramische Multikanalelemente” Peter in s / Public domain (cropped)
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