Design and multi-objective optimization of low-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells with efficient water recovery and high electrochemical performance

•PEMFC model with gaseous, liquid, and dissolved water conversion is developed.•Multi-objective optimization between EWRE and electrochemistry is conducted.•Optimized EWRE achieves 141 % with current density of 0.7163 A·cm−2.•Efficient water recovery contributes to extending the applications of PEMFC.