Applying Infrared Thermography as a Quality-Control Tool for the Rapid Detection of Proton-Electrolyte-Membrane-Fuel-Cell Catalyst-Layer-Thickness Variations

As fuel cells become more prominent, new manufacturing and production methods are needed to enable increased volumes with high quality. One necessary component of this industrial growth will be the accurate measurement of the variability of a wide range of material properties during the manufacturin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of power sources 2012-08, Vol.211 (August 2012)
Main Authors: Aieta, Niccolo V., Das, Prodip K., Perdue, Andrew, Bender, Guido, Herring, Andrew M., Weber, Adam Z., Ulsh, Michael J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
08 HYDROGEN
catalyst layer
CATALYSTS
DATA ANALYSIS
DEFECTS
DETECTION
DIRECT CURRENT
ELECTROCATALYSTS
ENGINEERING
fuel cell
FUEL CELLS
INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY
infrared thermomgraphy
MANUFACTURING
MATERIALS SCIENCE
PEMFC
PRODUCTION
QUALITY CONTROL
RESOLUTION
SENSITIVITY
SIMULATION
THICKNESS
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Summary:As fuel cells become more prominent, new manufacturing and production methods are needed to enable increased volumes with high quality. One necessary component of this industrial growth will be the accurate measurement of the variability of a wide range of material properties during the manufacturing process. In this study, a method to detect defects in fuel cell catalyst layers is investigated through experiment and mathematical simulation. The method uses infrared thermography and direct-current electronic-excitation methods to detect variations in platinum-containing catalyst-layer thickness with high spatial and temporal resolution. Data analysis, operating-condition impacts, and detection limits are explored, showing the measurement of defects on the millimeter length scale. Overall, the experimental and modeling results demonstrate great potential of this technique as a nondestructive method to measure defects that is amenable to use on roll-to-roll manufacturing lines.
ISSN:0378-7753
1873-2755
DOI:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2012.02.030