In proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), platinum catalysts convert hydrogen and oxygen to electricity. Platinum (Pt), loaded on a carbon support, is deposited on both sides of a thin proton exchange membrane. The performance of the fuel cell depends on the right Pt loading and uniform coating on both sides of the membrane. This ultimately also determines the value of the catalytic coated membrane (CCM) material for fuel cell manufacturers.
In scaling up production, uniform deposition on larger material surfaces has proven challenging, due to the nature and homogeneity of Pt in the inks used. Therefore, frequent validation of the production quality is vital to be able to sell the material at its actual value. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is the standard analysis tool used in the industry, as it can distinguish between the thickness of the C/Pt layer and the actual Pt loading in the coating.
In this application note, we demonstrate the capability of the on-line XRF analyzer Epsilon Xline to carry out quality-control analysis directly and quantify the amount of Pt and homogeneity over the surface, without the need to isolate samples from the roll and put them in a laboratory system.
In proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), platinum catalysts convert hydrogen and oxygen to electricity. Platinum (Pt), loaded on a carbon support, is deposited on both sides of a thin proton exchange membrane. The performance of the fuel cell depends on the right Pt loading and uniform coating on both sides of the membrane. This ultimately also determines the value of the catalytic coated membrane (CCM) material for fuel cell manufacturers.
In scaling up production, uniform deposition on larger material surfaces has proven challenging, due to the nature and homogeneity of Pt in the inks used. Therefore, frequent validation of the production quality is vital to be able to sell the material at its actual value. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is the standard analysis tool used in the industry, as it can distinguish between the thickness of the C/Pt layer and the actual Pt loading in the coating.
In this application note, we demonstrate the capability of the on-line XRF analyzer Epsilon Xline to carry out quality-control analysis directly and quantify the amount of Pt and homogeneity over the surface, without the need to isolate samples from the roll and put them in a laboratory system.
