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Fuel Cell Gas Diffusion Layer Lab
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A lab that improves water management and power generation performance in fuel cells through research on the gas diffusion layer.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring fuel cell water management through the gas diffusion layer.
The Fuel Cell System Lab, based on mechanical engineering, advances research and development of fuel cells (PEFC, SOFC) and water electrolyzers.
Fuel cells and water electrolyzers are expected to be at the core of a next-generation sustainable energy society because they are highly efficient regardless of scale, quiet, and highly reliable.
Associate Professor Tatsumi Kitahara's team studies the design of gas diffusion layers coated with a microporous layer, in order to improve the power generation performance of polymer electrolyte fuel cells.
On the lab's website, the research of each faculty member's team is introduced under the name 'Fuel Cell System Lab.'
Key terms
- Polymer electrolyte fuel cell
- A type of fuel cell in which hydrogen and oxygen react to produce water and electricity. Abbreviated PEFC.
- Gas diffusion layer
- A layer in a fuel cell. Coating it with a microporous layer is a commonly used approach to improve water management and power generation performance.
- Microporous layer
- A layer applied to the gas diffusion layer. The lab studies it while varying its composition, pore diameter, porosity, and thickness.
ResearchResearch themes
Based on mechanical engineering, this lab advances research and development of fuel cells (PEFC, SOFC) and water electrolyzers from the standpoint of system engineers. Among these efforts, Associate Professor Tatsumi Kitahara's team studies gas diffusion layers for improving the performance of polymer electrolyte fuel cells, as well as marine fuel cells.
*Illustrative imageDesign guidelines for diffusion layers that resist drying out
The lab makes diffusion layers with varied microporous layer (MPL) composition, pore diameter, porosity, and thickness, and examines the effects on water repellency, gas permeability, and water permeability. It aims to clarify design guidelines that make the layers resist drying out under low-humidity (non-humidified) conditions.
*Illustrative imageReliability and durability of marine fuel cells
The lab works on improving the safety, reliability, and durability of fuel cells used on ships.
MembersFaculty
The Fuel Cell System Lab's members consist of faculty, visiting lecturers, technical officers, technical staff, administrative assistants, academic researchers, doctoral, master's, and bachelor'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: “Carbon-Paper Indigo x )” Emilian Robert Vicol from Com. Balanesti, Romania / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Design guidelines for diffusion layers that resist drying out: “Uniform condensation pattern on glass” Dreamora96x / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Reliability and durability of marine fuel cells: “Mahoroba (Ship” 妖精書士 / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Fuel Cell Gas Diffusion Layer Lab (Tatsumi Kitahara)): “Hectographic Carbon Paper” CatalinaDurhan / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (〈Polymer Electrolyte Materials Lab〉): “Solid-polymeric-foam” Giovanna Canu, Eva Santini / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Polymer Electrolyte Materials Lab (Masamichi Nishihara)): “PEM Fuel Cell (Arabic)” Ciphers / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Process Systems Engineering Lab): “Lithium-Ion Battery for BMW i3 - Battery Pack” RudolfSimon / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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