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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 11: Interfaces and Thin Films I

CPP 11.6: Talk

Monday, March 31, 2014, 17:45–18:00, ZEU 114

FTIR Imaging of PFSA Membranes for Fuel Cells — •Pawel Gazdzicki¹ and Martina Corasaniti² — ¹German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Technical Thermodynamics, Pfaffenwaldring 38-40, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany — ²Solvay Specialty Polymers, viale Lombardia 20, 20021 Bollate (MI), Italy

In our presentation we provide an attenuated total reflection (ATR) Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) imaging study of perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) membranes. These materials are typically used as ion conductors in electrochemical energy converters such as low temperature fuel cells. The spectroscopic images have been measured using a focal plane array detector allowing for a lateral resolution of 1 µm. Thanks to this superior resolution it is possible to detect statistically distributed areas with increased hydrophobicity which exhibit a reduced concentrations of sulfonic acid groups and an increased concentration of the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) backbone. For Aquivion^® the diameter of the individual regions of -SO₃⁻ depletion is found to be 5 - 15 µm; the overall percentage of area with reduced SO₃⁻ occurrence is about 1.5 - 2% of the analysed surface area. Additionally, we compare FTIR transmission and ATR spectra that provide bulk and surface specific information, respectively.

The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) for Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Technology Initiative under Grant No. 303452 (Impact).