TY - JOUR A1 - Ziesche, R.F. A1 - Hack, J. A1 - Rasha, L. A1 - Maier, M. A1 - Tan, C. A1 - Heenan, T.M.M. A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Manke, I. A1 - Kockelmann, W. A1 - Brett, D.J.L. A1 - Shearing, P.R. T1 - High-speed 4D neutron computed tomography for quantifying water dynamics in polymer electrolyte fuel cells JF - Nature Communications N2 - In recent years, low-temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cells have become an increasingly important pillar in a zero-carbon strategy for curbing climate change, with their potential to power multiscale stationary and mobile applications. The performance improvement is a particular focus of research and engineering roadmaps, with water management being one of the major areas of interest for development. Appropriate characterisation tools for mapping the evolution, motion and removal of water are of high importance to tackle shortcomings. This article demonstrates the development of a 4D high-speed neutron imaging technique, which enables a quantitative analysis of the local water evolution. 4D visualisation allows the time-resolved studies of droplet formation in the flow fields and water quantification in various cell parts. Performance parameters for water management are identified that offer a method of cell classification, which will, in turn, support computer modelling and the engineering of next-generation flow field designs. KW - Neutron imaging KW - Tomography KW - Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-545978 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29313-5 VL - 13 IS - 1 SP - 1616 PB - Nature Publishing Group UK CY - London AN - OPUS4-54597 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ziesche, R. A1 - Robinson, J. A1 - Kok, M. A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Kockelmann, W. A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Manke, I. A1 - Brett, D. A1 - Shearing, P. T1 - Editors’ Choice—4D Neutron and X-ray Tomography Studies of High Energy Density Primary Batteries: Part I. Dynamic Studies of LiSOCl2 during Discharge JF - Journal of the Electrochemical Society N2 - The understanding of dynamic processes in Li-metal batteries is an important consideration to enable the full capacity of cells to be utilised. These processes, however, are generally not directly observable using X-ray techniques due to the low attenuation of Li; and are challenging to visualise using neutron imaging due to the low temporal resolution of the technique. In this work, complementary X-ray and neutron imaging are combined to track the dynamics of Li within a primary Li/SOCl2 cell. The temporal challenges posed by neutron imaging are overcome using the golden ratio imaging method which enables the identification of Li diffusion in operando. This combination of techniques has enabled an improved understanding of the processes which limit rate performance in Li/SOCl2 cells and may be applied beyond this chemistry to other Li-metal cells. KW - Nneutron imaging KW - X-ray imaging KW - Tomography KW - Primary Battery PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-515802 DO - https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/abbbbc SN - 1945-7111 VL - 13 IS - 167 SP - 130545 PB - IOP Publishing AN - OPUS4-51580 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ziesche, R. F. A1 - Robinson, J. B. A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Bradbury, R. A1 - Tengattini, A. A1 - Lenoir, N. A1 - Helfen, L. A1 - Kockelmann, W. A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Manke, I. A1 - Brett, D. J. L. A1 - Shearing, P. R. T1 - Editors’ Choice—4D Neutron and X-ray Tomography Studies of High Energy Density Primary Batteries: Part II. Multi-Modal Microscopy of LiSOCl2 Cells JF - Journal of the Electrochemical Society N2 - The ability to track electrode degradation, both spatially and temporally, is fundamental to understand performance loss during operation of lithium batteries. X-ray computed tomography can be used to follow structural and morphological changes in electrodes; however, the direct detection of electrochemical processes related to metallic lithium is difficult due to the low sensitivity to the element. In this work, 4-dimensional neutron computed tomography, which shows high contrast for lithium, is used to directly quantify the lithium diffusion process in spirally wound Li/SOCl2 primary cells. The neutron dataset enables the quantification of the lithium transport from the anode and the accumulation inside the SOCl2 cathode to be locally resolved. Complementarity between the collected neutron and X-ray computed tomographies is shown and by applying both methods in concert we have observed lithium diffusion blocking by the LiCl protection layer and identified all cell components which are difficult to distinguish using one of the methods alone. KW - Lithium-ion battery KW - Room-temperature KW - Thermal runaway KW - Gas evolution KW - Cells PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-520890 DO - https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/abbfd9 VL - 167 SP - 140509 PB - IOP Science AN - OPUS4-52089 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wu, Y. A1 - Lu, X. A1 - Cho, J.I.S. A1 - Rasha, L. A1 - Whiteley, M. A1 - Neville, T. P. A1 - Ziesche, R. A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Manke, I. A1 - Zhang, X. A1 - Shearing, P. R. A1 - Brett, D. J. L. T1 - Multi-length scale characterization of compression on metal foam flow-field based fuel cells using X-ray computed tomography and neutron radiography JF - Energy Conversion and Management N2 - The mechanical compression of metal foam flow-field based polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) is critical in determining the interfacial contact resistance with gas diffusion layers (GDLs), reactant flow and water management. The distinct scale between the pore structure of metal foams and the entire flow-field warrant a multilength scale characterization that combines ex-situ tests of compressed metal foam samples and in-operando analysis of operating PEFCs using X-ray computed tomography (CT) and neutron radiography. An optimal ‘medium’ compression was found to deliver a peak power density of 853 mW/cm². The X-ray CT data indicates that the compression process significantly decreases the mean pore size and narrows the pore size distribution of metal foams. Simulation results suggest compressing metal foam increases the pressure drop and gas velocity, improving the convective liquid water removal. This is in agreement with the neutron imaging results that demonstrates an increase in the mass of accumulated liquid water with minimum compression compared to the medium and maximum compression cases. The results show that a balance between Ohmic resistance, water removal capacity and parasitic power is imperative for the optimal performance of metal foam based PEFCs. KW - Fuel cell KW - Compression effect KW - Metal foam microstructure KW - Neutron radiography KW - X-ray CT PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2020.113785 VL - 239 SP - 10 EP - 113785 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-53842 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Williams, S. H. A1 - Hilger, A. A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Manke, I. A1 - Strobl, M. A1 - Douissard, P.A. A1 - Martin, T. A1 - Riesemeier, Heinrich A1 - Banhart, J. T1 - Detection system for microimaging with neutrons JF - Journal of Instrumentation N2 - A new high-resolution detector setup for neutron imaging has been developed based on infinity-corrected optics with high light collection, combined with customized mounting hardware. The system can easily be installed, handled and fitted to any existing facility, avoiding the necessity of complex optical systems or further improved electronics (CCD). This is the first time optical magnification higher than 1:1 has been used with scintillator-based neutron detectors, as well as the first implementation of infinity corrected optics for neutron imaging, achieving the smallest yet reported effective pixel size of 3.375 µm. A novel transparent crystal scintillator (GGG crystal) has been implemented with neutrons for the first time to overcome limitations of traditional powder scintillators (Li6/ZnS, Gadox). The standardized procedure for resolution measurements with the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) is summarized to facilitate comparison between instruments and facilities. Using this new detector setup, a resolution of 14.8 µm with a field of view of 6 mm × 6 mm has been achieved while maintaining reasonable count times. These advances open a wide range of new possible research applications and allow the potential for additional future developments. KW - Instrumentation for neutron sources KW - Neutron radiography KW - Neutron detectors (cold, thermal, fast neutrons) PY - 2012 DO - https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/7/02/P02014 SN - 1748-0221 VL - 7 IS - P02014 SP - 1 EP - 26 PB - Inst. of Physics Publ. CY - London AN - OPUS4-26433 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Van Tran, K. A1 - Woracek, R. A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Abou-Ras, D. A1 - Puplampu, S. A1 - Förster, C. A1 - Penumadu, D. A1 - Dahlberg, C. F. O. A1 - Banhart, J. A1 - Manke, I. T1 - Torsion of a rectangular bar: Complex phase distribution in 304L steel revealed by neutron tomography JF - Materials & Design N2 - Metastable austenitic stainless steel (304L) samples with a rectangular cross-section were plastically deformed in torsion during which they experienced multiaxial stresses that led to a complex martensitic phase distribution owing to the transformation induced plasticity effect. A three-dimensional characterization of the phase distributions in these cm-sized samples was carried out by wavelength-selective neutron tomography. It was found that quantitatively correct results are obtained as long as the samples do not exhibit any considerable preferential grain orientation. Optical microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and finite element modeling were used to verify and explain the results obtained by neutron tomography. Altogether, neutron tomography was shown to extend the range of microstructure characterization methods towards the meso- and macroscale. KW - Neutron tomography KW - Phase distribution KW - Rectangular cross-section KW - Torsion KW - Geometrical effect PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-561649 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2022.111037 SN - 0264-1275 VL - 222 SP - 111037 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-56164 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Trogadas, P. A1 - Cho, J. I. S. A1 - Rasha, L. A1 - Lu, X. A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Manke, I. A1 - Shearing, P. R. A1 - Brett, D. J. L. A1 - Coppens, M. O. T1 - A nature-inspired solution for water management in flow fields for electrochemical devices JF - Energy & Environmental Science N2 - A systematic, nature-inspired chemical engineering approach is employed to solve the issue of flooding in electrochemical devices. The mechanism of passive water transport utilized by lizards living in arid environments is leveraged to design flow-fields with a microchannel structure on their surface, through which capillary pressure rapidly removes the water generated in the electrochemical device. This water management strategy is implemented in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) with a lunginspired flow-field, which ensures uniform distribution of reactants across the catalyst layer. Jointly, this nature-inspired approach results in flood-free, stable operation at 100% RH and a B60% increase in current (B1.9 A cm-2) and peak power density (B650 mW cm−2) compared to current PEMFCs with a flood-prone, serpentine flow-field (B0.8 A cm-2 and 280 mW cm-2, respectively). This significant advance allows for PEMFC operation at fully humidified conditions. KW - Neutron imaging KW - X-ray tomography KW - Fuel cell PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-596662 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ee03666a VL - 17 SP - 2007 EP - 2017 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-59666 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tran, K. V. A1 - Woracek, R. A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Hilger, A. A1 - Kockelmann, W. A1 - Kelleher, J. A1 - Puplampu, S. B. A1 - Penumadu, D. A1 - Tremsin, A. S. A1 - Banhart, J. A1 - Manke, I. T1 - Spectral neutron tomography JF - Materials Today Advances N2 - Combined three-dimensional (3D) mapping of (micro-)structures with elemental and crystalline phase variations is of significant importance for the characterization of materials. Neutron wavelength selective imaging is a spectral imaging technique that exploits unique contrast differences e.g. for mapping dissimilar elemental, isotope, or phase compositions, and has the particular advantage of being applicable to sample volumes on the meso- and macroscale. While being mostly applied as radiography (2D) so far, we herein report that the extension to tomography allows for the display of the full spectral information for every voxel and in 3D. The development is supported by example data from a continuous as well as a pulsed neutron source. As a practical example, we collected 4D data sets (3D + spectral) of plastically deformed metastable stainless steel and herein demonstrate an improved quantification strategy for crystalline phase fractions. These exemplary results illustrate that localized phase transformations can be quantified even in complex geometries within centimeter-sized samples, and we will discuss the limits and future prospects of the technique that is not limited to crystalline materials. KW - 4D tomographic data KW - Multi-energy CT KW - Spectral CT KW - Phase distribution KW - Full-field phase tomography PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-521668 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtadv.2021.100132 VL - 9 SP - 132 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-52166 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tran, K. V. A1 - Woracek, R. A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Abou-Ras, D. A1 - Puplampu, S. A1 - Förster, C. A1 - Penumadu, D. A1 - Dahlberg, C. F. O. A1 - Banhart, J. A1 - Manke, I. T1 - Torsion of a rectangular bar: Complex phase distribution in 304L steel revealed by neutron tomography JF - Materials & Design N2 - Metastable austenitic stainless steel (304L) samples with a rectangular cross-section were plastically deformed in torsion during which they experienced multiaxial stresses that led to a complex martensitic phase distribution owing to the transformation induced plasticity effect. A three-dimensional characterization of the phase distributions in these cm-sized samples was carried out by wavelength-selective neutron tomography. It was found that quantitatively correct results are obtained as long as the samples do not exhibit any considerable preferential grain orientation. Optical microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and finite element modeling were used to verify and explain the results obtained by neutron tomography. Altogether, neutron tomography was shown to extend the range of microstructure characterization methods towards the meso- and macroscale. KW - Neutron tomography KW - Phase distribution KW - Rectangular cross-section KW - Torsion KW - Geometrical effect PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-569101 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2022.111037 VL - 222 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-56910 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tengattini, A A1 - Kardjilov, N A1 - Helfen, L A1 - Douissard, P A A1 - Lenoir, N A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Hilger, A A1 - Arlt, T A1 - Paulisch, M A1 - Turek, T A1 - Manke, Ingo T1 - Compact and versatile neutron imaging detector with sub-4μm spatial resolution based on a single-crystal thin-film scintillator JF - Optics Express N2 - A large and increasing number of scientific domains pushes for high neutron imaging resolution achieved in reasonable times. Here we present the principle, design and performance of a detector based on infinity corrected optics combined with a crystalline Gd3Ga5O12 : Eu scintillator, which provides an isotropic sub-4 μm true resolution. The exposure times are only of a few minutes per image. This is made possible also by the uniquely intense cold neutron flux available at the imaging beamline NeXT-Grenoble. These comparatively rapid acquisitions are compatible with multiple high quality tomographic acquisitions, opening new venues for in-operando testing, as briefly exemplified here. KW - Neutron imaging KW - Scintillator KW - Resolution PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-549836 DO - https://doi.org/10.1364/oe.448932 VL - 30 IS - 9 SP - 14461 EP - 14477 PB - Optica CY - Washington, DC AN - OPUS4-54983 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Silveira, A. A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Longo, E. A1 - Greving, I. A1 - Lasch, P. A1 - Shahar, R A1 - Zaslansky, P. T1 - Water flow through bone: Neutron tomography reveals differences in water permeability between osteocytic and anosteocytic bone material JF - Materials & Design N2 - Vertebrate bones are made of a nanocomposite consisting of water, mineral and organics. Water helps bone material withstand mechanical stress and participates in sensation of external loads. Water diffusion across vertebrae of medaka (bone material lacking osteocytes) and zebrafish (bone material containing osteocytes) was compared using neutron tomography. Samples were measured both wet and following immersion in deuterated-water (D2O). By quantifying H+ exchange and mutual alignment with X-ray lCT scans, the amount of water expelled from complete vertebra was determined. The findings revealed that anosteocytic bone material is almost twice as amenable to D2O diffusion and H2O exchange, and that unexpectedly, far more water is retained in osteocytic zebrafish bone. Diffusion in osteocytic bones (only 33 % – 39 % water expelled) is therefore restricted as compared to anosteocytic bone (~ 60 % of water expelled), presumably because water flow is confined to the lacunar-canalicular network (LCN) open-pore system. Histology and Raman spectroscopy showed that anosteocytic bone contains less proteoglycans than osteocytic bone. These findings identify a previously unknown functional difference between the two bone materials. Therefore, this study proposes that osteocytic bone retains water, aided by non-collagenous proteins, which contribute to its poroelastic mechano-transduction of water flow confined inside the LCN porosity. KW - Bone porosity KW - Anosteocytic bone KW - Water permeability KW - Neutron tomography KW - Proteoglycans PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-564563 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2022.111275 VL - 224 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-56456 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Serrano Munoz, Itziar A1 - Pfretzschner, Beate A1 - Kromm, Arne A1 - Nadammal, Naresh A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Neuwirth, T. A1 - Schulz, M. A1 - Griesche, Axel T1 - High-resolution Bragg-edge neutron radiography detects grain morphology in PBF-LB/M IN718 JF - Materialia N2 - One of the main advantages of metal additive manufacturing (MAM) techniques is their ability to produce components with site-specific microstructural features. Nevertheless, microstructural defects and lack of repeatability are still major concerns in MAM. In this study, a laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) IN718 material, produced using two different scan length vectors, is investigated using Bragg-edge neutron 2D imaging (BENI) combined with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis. BENI is able to detect, on a macroscopic scale, process-induced changes in texture in a large field of view covering the entire sample (20×80 mm2). In addition, high-resolution BENI (HR-BENI), with a pixel size of 12.8 µm, provides a micro-scale examination of the local variations of texture and grain morphology, otherwise undistinguishable using the standard resolution. As such, HR-BENI offers a straightforward and detailed way of screening the integrity of MAM parts at cm-length scales. KW - Bragg-edge neutron 2D imaging (BENI) KW - Metal additive manufacturing (MAM) KW - IN718 PBF-LB/M KW - Crystallographic texture control KW - Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) PY - 2023 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtla.2023.101827 SN - 2589-1529 VL - 30 SP - 1 EP - 6 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-57819 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Peruzzi, N. A1 - Galli, S. A1 - Helmholz, H. A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Krüger, D. A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Moosmann, J. A1 - Orlov, D. A1 - Prgomet, Z. A1 - Willumeit-Römer, R. A1 - Wennerberg, A. A1 - Bech, M. T1 - Multimodal ex vivo methods reveal that Gd-rich corrosion byproducts remain at the implant site of biodegradable Mg-Gd screws JF - Acta Biomaterialia N2 - Extensive research is being conducted on magnesium (Mg) alloys for bone implant manufacturing, due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability and mechanical properties. Gadolinium (Gd) is among the most promising alloying elements for property control in Mg alloy implants; however, its toxicity is contro- versial. Investigating Gd behavior during implant corrosion is thus of utmost importance. In this study, we analyzed the degradation byproducts at the implant site of biodegradable Mg-5Gd and Mg-10Gd implants after 12 weeks healing time, using a combination of different imaging techniques: histology, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), x-ray microcomputed tomography (μCT) and neutron μCT. The main finding has been that, at the healing time in exam, the corrosion appears to have involved only the Mg component, which has been substituted by calcium and phosphorus, while the Gd remains localized at the implant site. This was observed in 2D by means of EDX maps and extended to 3D with a novel application of neutron tomography. X-ray fluorescence analysis of the main excretory organs also did not reveal any measurable accumulation of Gd, further reinforcing the conclusion that very limited or no removal at all of Gd-alloy happened during degradation. KW - Magnesium-gadolinium alloy KW - Biodegradable implant KW - Multimodal analysis KW - Energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy KW - Micro-computed tomography PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-535910 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2021.09.047 SN - 1742-7061 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-53591 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pacheco, V. A1 - Marattukalam, J. J. A1 - Karlsson, D. A1 - Dessieux, L. A1 - Tran, K. V. A1 - Beran, P. A1 - Manke, I. A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Sahlberg, M. A1 - Woracek, R. T1 - On the relationship between laser scan strategy, texture variations and hidden nucleation sites for failure in laser powder-bed fusion JF - Materialia N2 - While laser powder-bed fusion has overcome some of the design constraints of conventional manufacturing methods, it requires careful selection of process parameters and scan strategies to obtain favorable properties. Here we show that even simple scan strategies, complex ones being inevitable when printing intricate designs, can inadvertently produce local alterations of the microstructure and preferential grain orientation over small areas – which easily remain unnoticed across the macroscale. We describe how a combined usage of neutron imaging and electron backscatter diffraction can reveal these localized variations and explain their origin within cm-sized parts. We explain the observed contrast variations by linking the neutron images to simulated data, pole figures and EBSD, providing an invaluable reference for future studies and showing that presumably minor changes of the scan strategy can have detrimental effects on the mechanical properties. In-situ tensile tests reveal that fracture occurs in a region that was re-melted during the building process. KW - Laser powder-bed fusion KW - Texture KW - Preferential orientation KW - Diffraction contrast neutron imaging KW - Bragg-edge PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-568054 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtla.2022.101614 VL - 26 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-56805 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mohseninia, A A1 - Eppler, M A1 - Kartouzian, D A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Kardjilov, N A1 - Wilhelm, F A1 - Scholta, J A1 - Manke, I T1 - PTFE Content in Catalyst Layers and Microporous Layers: Effect on Performance and Water Distribution in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells JF - Journal of the Electrochemical Society N2 - This work describes the effects of catalyst layers (CLs) consisting of hydrophobic PTFE on the performance and water management of PEM fuel cells. Catalyst inks with various PTFE contents were coated on Nafion membranes and characterized using contact angle measurements, SEX-EDX, and mercury porosimetry. Fuel cell tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were conducted under varying operating conditions for the prepared materials. At dry conditions, CLs with 5 wt.% PTFE were advantageous for cell performance due to improved membrane hydration, whereas under humid conditions and high air flow rates CLs with 10 wt.% PTFE improved the performance in high current density region. Higher PTFE contents (⩾20 wt.%) increased the mass transport resistance due to reduced porosity of the CLs structure. Operando neutron radiography was utilized to study the effects of hydrophobicity gradients within CLs and cathode microporous layer (MPLC) on liquid water distribution. More hydrophobic CLs increased the water content in adjacent layers and improved performance, especially at dry conditions. MPLC with higher PTFE contents increased the overall liquid water within the CLs and GDLs and escalated the water transfer to the anode side. Furthermore, the role of back-diffusion transport mechanism on water distribution was identified for the investigated cells. KW - Neutron imaging KW - Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell KW - Catalyst Layer KW - Microporous Layer KW - Water Distribution PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/abec53 VL - 168 IS - 3 SP - 034509 PB - IOP Science AN - OPUS4-52402 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Markötter, H. A1 - Manke, I. A1 - Kuhn, R. A1 - Arlt, Tobias A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Hentschel, Manfred P. A1 - Kupsch, Andreas A1 - Lange, Axel A1 - Hartnig, C. A1 - Scholta, J. A1 - Banhart, J. T1 - Neutron tomographic investigations of water distributions in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell stacks JF - Journal of power sources N2 - Neutron tomography was applied to study the 3D water distribution in full polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stacks. The water distribution after switch-off of the fuel cell was analyzed over a period of 36 h. We found a slowly increasing water amount in the fuel cell, but only few changes within a time period of 5 h, which is about the time necessary for neutron tomography. In this way, the requirement for successful tomography was obtained. It is demonstrated how the quasi in-situ tomography technique enables us to study the water content in individual flow field channels of three-fold stacks. Flow field as well as stack design issues are addressed by this visualization method showing weak points due to a non-uniform water distribution that can be identified by means of neutron imaging. KW - Radiography KW - Tomography KW - Neutron imaging KW - Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) KW - Manifold stack KW - Water management PY - 2012 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2012.07.043 SN - 0378-7753 VL - 219 SP - 120 EP - 125 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam [u.a.] AN - OPUS4-26317 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Manke, I. A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Schäfer, R. A1 - Hilger, A. A1 - Strobl, M. A1 - Dawson, M. A1 - Grünzweig, C. A1 - Behr, G. A1 - Hentschel, Manfred P. A1 - David, C. A1 - Kupsch, Andreas A1 - Lange, Axel A1 - Banhart, J. T1 - Three-dimensional imaging of magnetic domains JF - Nature communications N2 - Magnetic domains have been the subject of much scientific investigation since their theoretical existence was first postulated by P.-E. Weiss over a century ago. Up to now, the three-dimensional (3D) domain structure of bulk magnets has never been observed owing to the lack of appropriate experimental methods. Domain analysis in bulk matter thus remains one of the most challenging tasks in research on magnetic materials. All current domain observation methods are limited to studying surface domains or thin magnetic films. As the properties of magnetic materials are strongly affected by their domain structure, the development of a technique capable of investigating the shape, size and distribution of individual domains in three dimensions is of great importance. Here, we show that the novel technique of Talbot-Lau neutron tomography with inverted geometry enables direct imaging of the 3D network of magnetic domains within the bulk of FeSi crystals. KW - Computed tomography KW - Reconstruction algorithm KW - Talbot-Lau neutron tomography KW - Magnetic domains PY - 2010 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms1125 SN - 2041-1723 SP - 1 EP - 6 PB - Nature Publishing Group CY - London, UK AN - OPUS4-22609 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Manke, I. A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Schäfer, R. A1 - Hilger, A. A1 - Grothausmann, R. A1 - Strobl, M. A1 - Dawson, M. A1 - Grünzweig, C. A1 - Tötzke, C. A1 - David, C. A1 - Kupsch, Andreas A1 - Lange, Axel A1 - Hentschel, Manfred P. A1 - Banhart, J. T1 - Three-dimensional imaging of magnetic domains with neutron grating interferometry JF - Physics procedia N2 - This paper gives a brief overview on3D imaging of magnetic domains with shearing grating neutron tomography. We investigated the three-dimensional distribution of magnetic domain walls in the bulk of a wedge-shaped FeSi single crystal. The width of the magnetic domains wasanalyzed at different locations within the crystal. Magnetic domains close to the tip of the wedge are much smaller than in the bulk. Furthermore, the three-dimensional shape of individual domains wasinvestigated. We discuss prospects and limitations of the applied measurement technique. KW - Neutron imaging KW - Tomography KW - Magnetic domains KW - Grating interferometry KW - Darkfield imaging KW - Shearing gratings KW - Talbot-Lau KW - Three-dimensional data quantification KW - Tomographic reconstruction PY - 2015 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-341919 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phpro.2015.07.057 SN - 1875-3892 VL - 69 SP - 404 EP - 412 PB - Elsevier B.V. CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-34191 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Manke, I. A1 - Hartnig, C. A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Riesemeier, Heinrich A1 - Goebbels, Jürgen A1 - Kuhn, R. A1 - Krüger, P. A1 - Banhart, J. T1 - In situ synchrotron X-ray radiography investigations of water transport in PEM fuel cells JF - Fuel Cells N2 - Water transport in an operating PEM fuel cell was investigated with synchrotron X-ray radiography with a spatial resolution of 3 µm and a temporal resolution of 5 s. This method allows for the detection of water accumulations with less than 10 µm diameter. We demonstrate that synchrotron X-ray imaging can dramatically expand the possibilities of imaging with high spatial and time resolution, especially as a complement to neutron radiography. Water transport processes from the first appearance of small water accumulations in the gas diffusion layer to their transport into the channel system were analysed in situ. Correlations between local effects such as water formation and operating conditions of the whole system, e.g. power variations, were found. A recently described eruptive water transport mechanism is analysed in detail. KW - Fuel cell KW - Gas diffusion layer KW - Imaging KW - Synchrotron KW - X-ray radiography KW - Two-phase flow KW - Water transport PY - 2010 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/fuce.200800123 SN - 1615-6846 SN - 1615-6854 VL - 10 IS - 1 SP - 26 EP - 34 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-22730 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Manke, I. A1 - Hartnig, C. A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Hilger, A. A1 - Lange, Axel A1 - Kupsch, Andreas A1 - Banhart, J. T1 - Wasserverteilung in PEM-Brennstoffzellen - In-situ-Untersuchung mit Neutronenradiografie und -tomografie JF - MP materials testing N2 - In-situ-Neutronenradiografie wird erfolgreich eingesetzt, um flüssiges Wasser in Niedertemperatur-PEM-Brennstoffzellen während des Betriebs zerstörungsfrei abzubilden und das sogenannte Wassermanagement – eine der größten Herausforderungen der Entwicklung – durch Anpassung der Materialeigenschaften zu optimieren. Dabei werden die besonderen Eigenschaften der Neutronen genutzt, die metallische Bauteile relativ leicht durchdringen, während selbst kleine Wassermengen durch ihre starke Streuung leicht nachweisbar sind. Die relativ langen Messzeiten für die Neutronentomografie werden durch den Betrieb der Zelle im “angehaltenen” Zustand realisierbar, sodass die dreidimensionale Wasserverteilung darstellbar wird. KW - Neutronen-Radiographie KW - Neutronen-Tomographie KW - Tomographische Rekonstruktionsalgorithmen KW - Brennstoffzellen KW - In-Situ-Radiologie PY - 2009 SN - 0025-5300 VL - 51 IS - 4 SP - 219 EP - 226 PB - Hanser CY - München AN - OPUS4-19221 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -