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Fuel Cell Gas Diffusion Layer Lab (Tatsumi Kitahara)
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The lab studies gas diffusion layers that improve the power generation performance of fuel cells.
AboutAbout the lab
Improving fuel cell performance, grounded in mechanical engineering.
The Kitahara Team of the Fuel Cell System Lab researches gas diffusion layers to improve the performance of fuel cells.
The team makes gas diffusion layers coated with a microporous layer (MPL), varying the composition, pore size, porosity, and thickness, and examines the effects on water repellency and on gas and water permeability.
The goal is to establish design guidelines for high-performance gas diffusion layers that resist drying out even under low-humidity, unhumidified conditions.
This site introduces the research of the Ito Team, the Kitahara Team, and the Nakajima Team together.
Key terms
- Gas diffusion layer
- A layer inside a fuel cell that serves as a pathway for gas and water.
- Microporous layer (MPL)
- A layer with fine pores that is applied to the surface of the gas diffusion layer.
- Polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC)
- A fuel cell that uses a polymer membrane as its electrolyte.
ResearchResearch themes
For fuel cells and water electrolyzers to be widely adopted, costs must be reduced and durability and performance must be improved. The Kitahara Team focuses on gas diffusion layers in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), researching how to make water easier to manage and thereby raise power generation performance.
*Illustrative imageDesign Guidelines for High-Performance Gas Diffusion Layers
The team makes diffusion layers with varying MPL composition, pore size, porosity, and thickness, and examines the effects on water repellency, gas permeability, and water permeability. The aim is design guidelines for layers that resist drying out even under low-humidity, unhumidified conditions.
*Illustrative imageSafety and Reliability of Marine Fuel Cells
The team researches how to improve the safety, reliability, and durability of fuel cells used on ships.
*Illustrative imageResearch on Reducing Friction in Engine Components
The team also works on reducing the friction loss that occurs between the piston and piston rings in internal combustion engines, and on improving scuffing resistance.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Fuel Cell System Lab consist of faculty, technical officers, technical staff, administrative assistants, academic researchers, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and research students.As of 2025
- 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: “Hectographic Carbon Paper” CatalinaDurhan / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Design Guidelines for High-Performance Gas Diffusion Layers: “Space Shuttle Fuel Cell” Steve Jurvetson / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Safety and Reliability of Marine Fuel Cells: “Ever Safety (ship” Tracie Hall from Orange County, us / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Research on Reducing Friction in Engine Components: “Piston rings” Beatrice Murch / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Fuel Cell Gas Diffusion Layer Lab): “Carbon-Paper Indigo x )” Emilian Robert Vicol from Com. Balanesti, Romania / CC BY 2.0 (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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