TY - JOUR A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Manke, I. A1 - Krüger, P. A1 - Arlt, Tobias A1 - Huassmann, J. A1 - Klages, M. A1 - Riesemeier, Heinrich A1 - Hartnig, C. A1 - Scholta, J. A1 - Banhart, J. T1 - Investigation of 3D water transport paths in gas diffusion layers by combined in-situ synchrotron X-ray radiography and tomography N2 - The three-dimensional water distribution and water transport paths in the gas diffusion layer (GDL) and the adjacent micro-porous layer (MPL) of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) were analyzed during cell operation. The technique of quasi in-situ X-ray tomography was used for a 3D visualization of the water distribution and the structure of the GDL at different operating conditions. Based on findings from in-situ radiographic measurements water transport paths were detected and subsequently examined by tomography. The combination of these 2D and 3D techniques allows for a fully three-dimensionally resolved visualization of transport paths through the GDL. KW - Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) KW - Radiography KW - Tomography KW - Synchrotron X-ray imaging KW - Gas diffusion layer (GDL) KW - Water transport paths PY - 2011 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elecom.2011.06.023 SN - 1388-2481 VL - 13 IS - 9 SP - 1001 EP - 1004 PB - Elsevier B.V. CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-25244 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Arlt, Tobias A1 - Manke, I. A1 - Wippermann, K. A1 - Tötzke, C. A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Riesemeier, Heinrich A1 - Mergel, J. A1 - Banhart, J. T1 - Investigation of the three-dimensional ruthenium distribution in fresh and aged membrane electrode assemblies with synchrotron X-ray absorption edge tomography N2 - Synchrotron X-ray absorption edge imaging was used to investigate the ruthenium distribution in both fresh and aged Pt/Ru-based membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) of direct methanol fuel cells. MEAs aged in different ways were analyzed: artificially aged by MeOH depletion and aged for 1700 h in an operating fuel cell stack. An element sensitive tomographic technique – differential X-ray absorption edge tomography – was applied allowing for a 3D-visualization of the ruthenium distribution within the MEA. We found a markedly changed Ru distribution after aging which is correlated to the GDL structure, the flow field geometry, and CO2 transport in the methanol solution. KW - Edge tomography KW - Ruthenium distribution KW - Direct methanol fuel cells KW - Synchrotron X-ray KW - PtRu corrosion PY - 2011 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elecom.2011.05.013 SN - 1388-2481 VL - 13 IS - 8 SP - 826 EP - 829 PB - Elsevier B.V. CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-25243 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tötzke, C. A1 - Gaiselmann, G. A1 - Osenberg, M. A1 - Bohner, J. A1 - Arlt, Tobias A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Hilger, A. A1 - Wieder, F. A1 - Kupsch, Andreas A1 - Müller, Bernd R. A1 - Hentschel, Manfred P. A1 - Banhart, J. A1 - Schmidt, V. A1 - Lehnert, W. A1 - Manke, I. T1 - Three-dimensional study of compressed gas diffusion layers using synchrotron X-ray imaging N2 - We present a synchrotron X-ray tomographic study on the morphology of carbon fiber-based gas diffusion layer (GDL) material under compression. A dedicated compression device is used to provide well-defined compression conditions. A flat compression punch is employed to study the fiber geometry at different degrees of compression. Transport relevant geometrical parameters such as porosity, pore size and tortuosity distributions are calculated. The geometric properties notably change upon compression which has direct impact on transport conditions for gas and fluid flow. The availability of broad 3D paths, which are most important for the transport of liquid water from the catalyst layer through the GDL, is markedly reduced after compression. In a second experiment, we study the influence of the channel-land-pattern of the flow-field on shape and microstructure of the GDL. A flow-field compression punch is employed to reproduce the inhomogeneous compression conditions found during fuel cell assembly. While homogenously compressed underneath the land the GDL is much less and inhomogeneously compressed under the channel. The GDL material extends far into the channel volume where it can considerably influence gas and fluid flow. Loose fiber endings penetrate deeply into the channel and form obstacles for the discharge of liquid water droplets. KW - Synchrotron X-ray tomography KW - Gas diffusion layer (GDL) KW - Microstructure KW - Water transport path KW - Pore size analysis KW - Geometrical tortuosity PY - 2014 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2013.12.062 SN - 0378-7753 VL - 253 SP - 123 EP - 131 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam [u.a.] AN - OPUS4-29979 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Manke, I. A1 - Hartnig, C. A1 - Krüger, P. A1 - Wippermann, K. A1 - Arlt, Tobias A1 - Choinka, G. A1 - Riesemeier, Heinrich A1 - Banhart, J. T1 - Hochauflösende Synchrotron-Radiografie KW - PEM Fuel-cells KW - Local current distribution KW - Neutron imaging technique KW - Water transport PY - 2010 SN - 0025-5300 VL - 52 IS - 10 SP - 698 EP - 704 PB - Hanser CY - München AN - OPUS4-23046 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Haußmann, J. A1 - Alink, R. A1 - Tötzke, C. A1 - Arlt, Tobias A1 - Klages, M. A1 - Riesemeier, Heinrich A1 - Scholta, J. A1 - Gerteisen, D. A1 - Banhart, J. A1 - Manke, I. T1 - Influence of cracks in the microporous layer on the water distribution in a PEM fuel cell investigated by synchrotron radiography N2 - Water evolution in the gas diffusion layer of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell was visualized in situ by means of synchrotron X-ray radiography. Cracks in the microporous layer were identified as start points of efficient liquid water transfer paths through the gas diffusion layer. Quantitative analysis of the water flow rate through those arbitrarily distributed cracks into the gas channel revealed that they have a strong influence on the overall liquid water transport. This could find entry into future material design and simulation. KW - Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) KW - Radiography KW - Synchrotron X-ray imaging KW - Microporous layer (MPL) KW - Water transport KW - Liquid water flow rate PY - 2013 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elecom.2013.04.006 SN - 1388-2481 VL - 34 SP - 22 EP - 24 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-30548 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tötzke, C. A1 - Gaiselmann, G. A1 - Osenberg, M. A1 - Arlt, Tobias A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Hilger, A. A1 - Kupsch, Andreas A1 - Müller, Bernd R. A1 - Schmidt, V. A1 - Lehnert, W. A1 - Manke, I. T1 - Influence of hydrophobic treatment on the structure of compressed gas diffusion layers N2 - Carbon fiber based felt materials are widely used as gas diffusion layer (GDL) in fuel cells. Their transport properties can be adjusted by adding hydrophobic agents such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). We present a synchrotron X-ray tomographic study on the felt material Freudenberg H2315 with different PTFE finishing. In this study, we analyze changes in microstructure and shape of GDLs at increasing degree of compression which are related to their specific PTFE load. A dedicated compression device mimicking the channel-land pattern of the flowfield is used to reproduce the inhomogeneous compression found in a fuel cell. Transport relevant geometrical parameters such as porosity, pore size distribution and geometric tortuosity are calculated and consequences for media transport discussed. PTFE finishing results in a marked change of shape of compressed GDLs: surface is smoothed and the invasion of GDL fibers into the flow field channel strongly mitigated. Furthermore, the PTFE impacts the microstructure of the compressed GDL. The number of available wide transport paths is significantly increased as compared to the untreated material. These changes improve the transport capacity liquid water through the GDL and promote the discharge of liquid water droplets from the cell. KW - Gas diffusion layer KW - Synchrotron Tomography KW - Compression KW - Hydrophobic treatment KW - Water transport PY - 2016 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2016.05.118 SN - 0378-7753 VL - 324 SP - 625 EP - 636 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-36918 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Arlt, Tobias T1 - Tomografische Methoden für die Brennstoffzellenforschung T2 - DGZfP-Jahrestagung 2011 CY - Bremen, Germany DA - 2011-05-30 PY - 2011 AN - OPUS4-24118 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Arlt, Tobias T1 - Tomographic methods for investigation of fuel cell materials T2 - HZB User Meeting 2011 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 2011-11-30 PY - 2011 AN - OPUS4-25077 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Arlt, Tobias T1 - Tomographic methods for investigation for fuel cell materials T2 - Ulm Electro Chemical Talks CY - Ulm, Germany DA - 2010-06-15 PY - 2010 AN - OPUS4-21518 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Kupsch, Andreas A1 - Lange, Axel A1 - Hentschel, Manfred P. A1 - Grothausmann, R. A1 - Arlt, Tobias A1 - Manke, I. T1 - High quality reconstruction of insufficient tomographic data by a new iterative procedure N2 - In order to demonstrate the challenging tasks in current R&D applications in the field of renewable energy sources experimental neutron and electron tomographic data sets of PEM fuel cell components are processed by an advanced version of the DIRECTT algorithm. The neutron measurements of the water distribution suffer from several intrinsic limitations such as massive position dependent focal smearing due to the large primary neutron beam aperture. Electron (TEM) tomography allows characterisation of nanometre sized catalyst particles but is hampered by the following restrictions: partial opacity, a limited sector of projections (missing wedge), very few projections, samples exceeding the detector size (region of interest) and improper angular alignment. Beyond the capabilities of other algorithms DIRECTT proves to overcome these essential reconstruction problems, in comparison to FBP and SIRT. Nevertheless, careful data pre-processing is an inevitable requirement in order to fully exploit the algorithm's potentials. T2 - 18th WCNDT - World conference on nondestructive testing CY - Durban, South Africa DA - 16.04.2012 KW - Iterative reconstruction KW - DIRECTT KW - Neutron tomography KW - Electron tomography KW - Focal smearing KW - Limited View KW - Opacity KW - Fuel cell KW - Renewable energy PY - 2012 UR - http://www.ndt.net/article/wcndt2012/papers/207_wcndtfinal00207.pdf SN - 978-0-620-52872-6 SP - 1 EP - 8 AN - OPUS4-25833 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Markötter, Henning 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 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 -