TY - JOUR

T1 - Elemental Distribution in Catalyst-Coated Membranes of Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysers Tracked by Synchrotron X-Ray Fluorescence

AU - Rex, Alexander

AU - Almeida De Campos, Leonardo

AU - Gottschalk, Torben

AU - Ferreira Sanchez, Dario

AU - Trinke, Patrick

AU - Czioska, Steffen

AU - Saraçi, Erisa

AU - Bensmann, Boris

AU - Grunwaldt, Jan Dierk

AU - Hanke-Rauschenbach, Richard

AU - Sheppard, Thomas L.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.

PY - 2024/9/9

Y1 - 2024/9/9

N2 - The stability of catalyst layers and membranes in proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) cells represents an ongoing challenge, compounded by the dissolution of components and migration of elements within the catalyst-coated membrane (CCM). Conventional microscopy methods often struggle to efficiently evaluate large cross-sections of PEMWE membranes, which is essential for representative analysis of technical scale CCMs. Herein, synchrotron radiation-based X-Ray fluorescence microscopy is exploited to analyze the stability of CCMs with around 1 μm resolution and a field of view of ≈200 × 75 μm2. Three application scenarios are investigated: 1) migration of catalyst elements, 2) dissolution of components, and 3) contaminated water supply containing (Formula presented.) ions. XRF is performed at three different X-Ray energies (11.7, 11.4, and 11.0 keV), revealing the local elemental composition, including Pt, Ir, Ti, and Fe, under different stressing conditions. Notable observations include the distribution of Ir across the membrane and in the cathode catalyst layer, localization of Pt within the membrane, accumulation of Ti in the cathode catalyst layer, and minimal presence of Fe. XRF has been demonstrated to be a powerful analytical tool for accurate and high throughput imaging of catalyst degradation in PEMWE scenarios, particularly of technical scale devices.

AB - The stability of catalyst layers and membranes in proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) cells represents an ongoing challenge, compounded by the dissolution of components and migration of elements within the catalyst-coated membrane (CCM). Conventional microscopy methods often struggle to efficiently evaluate large cross-sections of PEMWE membranes, which is essential for representative analysis of technical scale CCMs. Herein, synchrotron radiation-based X-Ray fluorescence microscopy is exploited to analyze the stability of CCMs with around 1 μm resolution and a field of view of ≈200 × 75 μm2. Three application scenarios are investigated: 1) migration of catalyst elements, 2) dissolution of components, and 3) contaminated water supply containing (Formula presented.) ions. XRF is performed at three different X-Ray energies (11.7, 11.4, and 11.0 keV), revealing the local elemental composition, including Pt, Ir, Ti, and Fe, under different stressing conditions. Notable observations include the distribution of Ir across the membrane and in the cathode catalyst layer, localization of Pt within the membrane, accumulation of Ti in the cathode catalyst layer, and minimal presence of Fe. XRF has been demonstrated to be a powerful analytical tool for accurate and high throughput imaging of catalyst degradation in PEMWE scenarios, particularly of technical scale devices.

KW - catalyst-coated membranes

KW - material stability

KW - metal migration

KW - proton exchange membrane water electrolysis

KW - X-Ray fluorescence

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85196418132&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1002/aesr.202400048

DO - 10.1002/aesr.202400048

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85196418132

VL - 5

JO - Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research

JF - Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research

IS - 9

M1 - 2400048

ER -