Patent ID: 8415076

Claim:
A method for preconditioning a gas diffusion layer for a fuel cell prior to assembly of the fuel cell, comprising the steps of: determining a structural configuration of a fuel cell; selecting a gas diffusion layer material for the fuel cell; determining responsive to the structural configuration a compression set that the gas diffusion layer will acquire after a plurality of operating cycles of the fuel cell, wherein the compression set occurs when thickness change of the gas diffusion layer in response to an operating cycle becomes substantially zero; obtaining the selected gas diffusion layer material, wherein the gas diffusion layer material has been subjected to a manufacturing process, wherein the manufacturing process may selectively include at least one compression and compression unloading process; determining whether the gas diffusion layer material has the compression set; compression set conditioning the gas diffusion layer if the gas diffusion layer does not have the compression set in order to impart upon the gas diffusion layer material the compression set, said compression set conditioning comprising at least one performance of the steps of: compressing the gas diffusion layer, wherein said step of compressing is performed outside the fuel cell and prior to assembly of the fuel cell; and compression unloading the gas diffusion layer, wherein said step of compression unloading is performed outside the fuel cell and prior to assembly of the fuel cell; wherein in response to said steps of compressing and compression unloading, the gas diffusion layer has substantially the compression set prior to assembly of the fuel cell.