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

这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目旨在证明开发用于实时测量气体扩散电极（GDE）催化剂涂层厚度的在线x射线分析仪的可行性。燃料电池中的电极，无论是单元件GDE，还是完整膜电极组件（MEA）中的阳极和阴极，都是每个质子交换膜（PEM）燃料电池的关键电化学部件。GDE的催化剂涂层是MEA生产中较为昂贵的制造工艺之一。然而，该工艺缺乏一种用于催化剂厚度和分布测量的在线技术。因此，制造变化对生产和性能的影响并没有得到充分的了解。在当前项目中提出的独特的光学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，以便立即适应更改或改进。这将提高产率和GDE产品的整体性能。该项目的目的是证明其可行性，而最终目标是建立一个将用于GDE生产线的仪器。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力在于，所开发的技术将有利于制造过程以及燃料电池系统的整体性能。燃料电池堆效率在使用几千小时后会显著下降，这是燃料电池系统没有广泛用于固定分布式发电的部分原因。因此，迫切需要降低降解率并延长堆的使用寿命。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射线分析仪结合了最新的x射线光学器件，使其能够以低功耗和紧凑的系统实现预期的性能。使用制造过程控制来降低成本和提高最终产品性能的双重好处是有吸引力的，这使得美国的行业更具竞争力，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.