Abstract
The variation of the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the membrane electrode of a fuel cell during proton exchange cycling involves the corrosion/compaction of the carbon support. The increasing degradation of the carbon structure continuously reduces the electrocatalytic performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEM-FCs). This phenomenon can be explained by performing 3D tomographic analysis at the nanoscale. However, conventional tomographic approaches which present limited experimental feasibility, cannot perform such evaluation and have not provided sufficient structural information with statistical significance thus far. Therefore, a reliable methodology is required for the 3D geometrical evaluation of the carbon structure. Here, we propose a segmented tomographic approach which employs pore network analysis that enables the visualization of the geometrical parameters corresponding to the porous carbon structure at a high resolution. This approach can be utilized to evaluate the 3D structural degradation of the porous carbon structure after cycling in terms of local surface area, pore size distribution, and their 3D networking. These geometrical parameters of the carbon body were demonstrated to be substantially reduced owing to the cycling-induced degradation. This information enables a deeper understanding of the degradation phenomenon of carbon supports and can contribute to the development of stable PEM-FC electrodes.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.