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- 2011 (2) (entfernen)
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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.
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.