Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : [in Japanese]
Date : October 20, 2018 - October 21, 2018
The distribution of ionomer which is one of the materials in a catalyst layer affects the performance of polymer electrolyte fuel cells. However, the distribution of ionomer in the catalyst layer is still unclear. Therefore, in this study, we performed the analysis of ionomer distribution in the catalyst layers with the different ionomer-carbon ratio (I/C) by two-stage ion-beam processing. Two-stage ion-beam processing consists of the fabrication of a smooth cross-section of the catalyst layer by a broad ion beam and the selective removal of ionomer by a focused ion beam. Scanning ion microscopic images after each process were obtained and image processing was carried out. The analysis showed that I/C affects the ionomer thickness and agglomerate particle size.