Electrode Edge Cobalt Cation Migration in an Operating Fuel Cell: An In Situ Micro-X-ray Fluorescence Study
- General Motors (GM), Pontiac, MI (United States). Global Fuel Cell Business
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
PtCo-alloy cathode electrocatalysts release Co cations under operation, and the presence of these cations in the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) can result in large performance losses. It is unlikely that these cations are static, but change positions depending on operating conditions. A thorough accounting of these Co cation positions and concentrations has been impossible to obtain owing to the inability to monitor these processes in operando. Indeed, the environment (water and ion content, potential, and temperature) within a fuel cell varies widely from inlet to outlet, from anode to cathode, and from active to inactive area. Synchrotron micro-X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) was leveraged to directly monitor Co2+ transport in an operating H2/air MEA for the first time. A Nafion membrane was exchanged to a known Co cation capacity, and standard Pt/C electrocatalysts were utilized for both electrodes. Co Kα1 XRF maps revealed through-plane transient Co transport responses driven by cell potential and current density. Because of the cell design and imaging geometry, the distributions were strongly impacted by the MEA edge configuration. These findings will drive future imaging cell designs to allow for quantitative mapping of cation through-plane distributions during operation.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); General Motors, Pontiac, MI (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Sustainable Transportation Office. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities Division
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC52-06NA25396; AC02-06CH11357; EE0007271
- OSTI ID:
- 1426004
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1441341; OSTI ID: 1504242
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-18-20372; /jes/165/6/F3132.atom
- Journal Information:
- Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Journal Name: Journal of the Electrochemical Society Vol. 165 Journal Issue: 6; ISSN 0013-4651
- Publisher:
- The Electrochemical SocietyCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
Similar Records
Tailoring Electrode Microstructure via Ink Content to Enable Improved Rated Power Performance for Platinum Cobalt/High Surface Area Carbon Based Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells
FISCAL YEAR 2006 REPORT ON ELECTROLYZER COMPONENT DEVELOPMENT FOR THE HYBRID SULFUR PROJECT