SBIR Phase I: Online Optic Enabled X-Ray Analyzer for Fuel Cell Manufacturing

小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目旨在证明开发在线X射线分析仪的可行性，该分析仪用于实时测量气体扩散电极(GDE)的触媒涂层厚度。燃料电池中的电极是质子交换膜(PEM)燃料电池的关键电化学部件，无论是单一元件的GDE，还是完整的膜电极组件(MEA)中的阳极和阴极。GDE的催化剂包覆是MEA生产中成本较高的制造工艺之一。然而，该工艺缺乏一种在线技术来测量催化剂的厚度和分布。因此，制造业变化对生产和绩效的影响没有得到充分的了解。本项目中提出的独特的基于光学的XRF分析仪将允许实时测量催化剂涂层厚度和元素分布。它将为GDE生产过程提供及时的反馈，以便立即适应变化或改进。这将提高GDE产品的产量和整体性能。该项目的目标是证明可行性，而最终目标是制造一种将在GDE生产线上使用的仪器。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是，所开发的技术将有利于燃料电池系统的制造过程和整体性能。使用几千小时后，燃料电池堆的效率可能会显著下降，这是燃料电池系统没有广泛用于固定分布式能源发电的部分原因。因此，迫切需要降低降解率并延长电堆的使用寿命。生产中催化剂涂层厚度和分布的测量是了解细微生产变化对性能影响的关键环节。目前还没有一种实用的在线、实时、连续、无损的方法来提供这些信息。X射线分析仪集成了最新的X射线光学元件，使其能够在低功率和紧凑的系统中实现预期的性能。使用制造过程控制来降低成本和改善最终产品性能的双重好处是有吸引力的，使美国的行业比以前更具竞争力，效率更高，环境足迹更小。此外，为燃料电池工艺开发的测量技术可以很容易地应用于其他类似的轧制或涂层制造工艺。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to demonstrate the feasibility of developing an online X-ray analyzer for real-time measurement of catalyst coating thickness of gas diffusion electrode (GDE). The electrodes in the fuel cell, either the single-element GDE, or an anode and cathode in a complete a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), is the critical electrochemical component for every proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. The catalyst coating of GDE is one of the more expensive manufacturing processes in the MEA production. However, the process is lacking an online technology for catalyst thickness and distribution measurements. As a result, the impact of manufacturing changes as they relate to both production and performance is not fully understood. The unique, optic-based XRF analyzer proposed in the current project will allow real-time measurement of the catalyst-coating thickness and elemental distribution. It will provide timely feedback for the GDE production process where changes or improvements can be accommodated immediately. This would improve yield and the overall performance of the GDE products. The objective of the project is to demonstrate the feasibility, while the ultimate goal is to build an instrument that will be used on a GDE production line.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is the technique developed would benefit both the manufacturing process as well as the overall performance of the fuel cell system. Fuel cell stack efficiency can drop significantly after a few thousand hours of use, which is part of the reason the fuel cell system is not widely used for stationary distributed energy generation. Thus, there is an immediate need to reduce the degradation rate and extend the stack operating life. The measurement of catalyst coating thickness and distribution in production can be a critical link to understand the performance impacts of subtle production changes. Currently there is no practical online, real-time, continuous, nondestructive method to provide this information. The X-ray analyzer incorporates the latest X-ray optics and makes it possible to achieve the anticipated performance with a low power and compact system. The dual benefit of using manufacturing process control to decrease cost and improve final product performance is attractive, enabling a more competitive industry in the U.S. that is more efficient and has a smaller environmental footprint than before. Further, the measurement techniques developed for the fuel cell process can readily be applied to other similar rolling or coating manufacturing processes.