Detection of water with high sensitivity to study polymer electrolyte fuel cell membranes using cold neutrons at high spatial resolution

作者：Bunn Jeffrey R^*; Penumadu Dayakar; Woracek Robin; Kardjilov Nikolay; Hilger Andre; Manke Ingo; Williams Scott

来源：Applied Physics Letters, 2013, 102(23): 234102.

DOI：10.1063/1.4811246

Thermal neutron imaging is a powerful non-invasive diagnostic technique to study water management within a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. To isolate the hydration behavior of membrane, significant increase in detecting thin water films is needed. A humidity cell is developed to study hydration of a PEM using cold neutron imaging. Spatial and temporal changes of PEM water uptake are quantified. Water film as small as 1 mu m thick and corresponding to a volume containing 10 ng of liquid water at high spatial resolution is detected. This represents an order of magnitude improvement in water detection efficiency achievable at thermal neutron imaging facilities.

• 出版日期2013-6-10