Scientists use Synchrotron to look deep inside fuel cells

A joint INAC-Liten research team used the Synchrotron’s X-ray microbeam to create a 3D image of a fuel-cell membrane’s nanostructure after 2,500 hours of use. What did they see? Namely, that physical wear on the material varies widely from one area of the membrane to another. The researchers correlated the differences in wear to the distance between each membrane sample and the electrodes or gas inputs.
The researchers have already used the results of their experiments at the Synchrotron to improve the design of future fuel cells. The results are also serving to enhance digital models in which the membrane had—until now—been treated like a coherent system. The research was carried out under the CEA’s New Energy Technologies program and the findings were published in ACS Macro Letters.
 

Contact: sandrine.lyonnard@cea.fr

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