Hybrid approach combining multiple characterization techniques and simulations for microstructural analysis of proton exchange membrane fuel cell electrodes

JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES

卷:344

Article

Cetinbas, Firat C.¹  Ahluwalia, Rajesh K.¹  Kariuki, Nancy²  De Andrade, Vincent³  Fongalland, Dash⁴  Smith, Linda⁴  Sharman, Jonathan⁴  Ferreira, Paulo⁵  Rasouli, Somaye⁵  Myers, Deborah J.² 

[1] Argonne Natl Lab, Nucl Engn Div, Argonne, IL 60439 USA

[2] Argonne Natl Lab, Chem Sci & Engn Div, Argonne, IL 60439 USA

[3] Argonne Natl Lab, Adv Photon Source, Argonne, IL 60439 USA

[4] Johnson Matthey, London EC4A 4AB, England

[5] Univ Texas Austin, Mech Engn, Austin, TX 78712 USA

关键词: PEMFC electrode;    Catalyst layer;    Electrode microstructure;    X-ray computed tomography;    Effective transport properties;    lonomer film thickness;    lonomer size distribution;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jpowsour.2017.01.104

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

The cost and performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells strongly depend on the cathode electrode due to usage of expensive platinum (Pt) group metal catalyst and sluggish reaction kinetics. Development of low Pt content high performance cathodes requires comprehensive understanding of the electrode microstructure. In this study, a new approach is presented to characterize the detailed cathode electrode microstructure from nm to gm length scales by combining information from different experimental techniques. In this context, nano-scale X-ray computed tomography (nano-CT) is performed to extract the secondary pore space of the electrode. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is employed to determine primary C particle and Pt particle size distributions. X-ray scattering, with its ability to provide size distributions of orders of magnitude more particles than TEM, is used to confirm the TEM-determined size distributions. The number of primary pores that cannot be resolved by nano-CT is approximated using mercury intrusion porosimetry. An algorithm is developed to incorporate all these experimental data in one geometric representation. Upon validation of pore size distribution against gas adsorption and mercury intrusion porosimetry data, reconstructed ionomer size distribution is reported. In addition, transport related characteristics and effective properties are computed by performing simulations on the hybrid microstructure. Published by Elsevier B.V.

【 授权许可】

Free