This study investigates the impact of stress distribution on the performance and durability of proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) devices. The conventional serpentine flow channel (S-FC) used in PEMWE cells leads to uneven stress distribution, causing severe deformation of the anode catalyst layer (ACL) under high stress regions and poor electrical contact in low stress regions. To address these issues, the researchers introduced a titanium mesh flow channel (TM-FC) with gradient pore sizes to reduce stress inhomogeneity. The ACL with TM-FC exhibited a 27 mV lower initial voltage and an 8-fold reduction in voltage degradation rate compared to the ACL with S-FC at 2.0 A/cm². The TM-FC was also demonstrated to be applicable in cross-scale electrolyzers up to 100 kW, showing only a 20 mV increase in voltage after three orders of magnitude scaleup. The study highlights the importance of optimizing stress distribution to enhance the performance and durability of PEMWE devices, providing a promising approach for large-scale clean energy production.This study investigates the impact of stress distribution on the performance and durability of proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) devices. The conventional serpentine flow channel (S-FC) used in PEMWE cells leads to uneven stress distribution, causing severe deformation of the anode catalyst layer (ACL) under high stress regions and poor electrical contact in low stress regions. To address these issues, the researchers introduced a titanium mesh flow channel (TM-FC) with gradient pore sizes to reduce stress inhomogeneity. The ACL with TM-FC exhibited a 27 mV lower initial voltage and an 8-fold reduction in voltage degradation rate compared to the ACL with S-FC at 2.0 A/cm². The TM-FC was also demonstrated to be applicable in cross-scale electrolyzers up to 100 kW, showing only a 20 mV increase in voltage after three orders of magnitude scaleup. The study highlights the importance of optimizing stress distribution to enhance the performance and durability of PEMWE devices, providing a promising approach for large-scale clean energy production.