a p p l i c at i o n B R I E F

Thermogravimetric Analysis

Author
Peng Ye
PerkinElmer, Inc.
Shelton, CT 06484 USA

Quality Control of Introduction

Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that convert
Polymer Electrolyte chemical energy into electricity. They offer cleaner
and more-efficient energy than the internal-combustion
Membrane Fuel Cells by engine. They have been used to power vehicles,
for stationary power generation and portable
Thermogravimetric Analysis applications. Hydrogen or hydrogen-rich gas (such
as natural gas) or liquid methanol can be used as
fuels depending on the fuel-cell type. Many types
of fuel cells are now available based on the electrolyte used, including polymer electrolyte membrane
fuel cells (PEMFC), direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC), solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), molten carbonate
fuel cells (MCFC) and alkaline fuel cells (AFC). Each has its own electrolyte, cathode and anode
as well as fuel type, typically operates in different temperature ranges and caters to different
applications – among these, the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell is the most widely used.

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), also known as proton exchange membrane fuel
cells, give very high power density. They have the advantage of low weight and volume, compared
with other fuel cells. As shown in Figure 1 (Page 2), polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells use
a solid polymer membrane as an electrolyte and porous carbon electrodes coated with a platinum
catalyst. They need only hydrogen, oxygen from the air and water to operate and do not require
corrosive fluids like some other fuel-cell types (e.g. PAFCs, phosphoric acid fuel cells). Pure
hydrogen or hydrogen-rich gas supplied from storage tanks or on-board reformers can be used
as fuel for PEMFC.
 During the manufacturing of polymer electrolyte membrane
fuel cells, one of the most important parts is the membrane
electrode assembly (MEA). The MEA consists of a proton
exchange membrane, catalyst layers and gas diffusion layers
(GDL). One method to make an MEA is to print the catalyst-
containing ink over the gas diffusion layers – for example,
carbon cloth. The carbon cloth is treated to remove solvent,
which results in the gas diffusion electrode (GDE). The GDE
is then hot pressed with the proton-exchange membrane to
form an MEA. During this process, thermogravimetric analysis
(TGA) can be used to check the ink formulation for quality-
control purposes and also to study the heat-treatment process
of carbon cloth.
Figure 1. Schematic of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC).1

Experimental
Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (pemfc) operate
This analysis was run on the PerkinElmer® Pyris™ 1 TGA,
generally at relatively low temperatures, around 80 ˚C (176 ˚F),
temperature calibrated with alumel, perkalloy and iron. The
although some new types of PEMFC can operate at high
Pyris 1 TGA offers precise temperature control and accurate
temperatures as well. Low-temperature operation allows
weight measurements. It is easy to operate, and has the
them to start quickly (less warm-up time), resulting in less
flexibility to also be connected to another instrument for
wear on system components increasing lifetime of the system;
hyphenated applications.
however, they require a noble-metal catalyst (typically platinum)
to catalyze the reaction of hydrogen with oxygen. The platinum For this work, the sample is an ink printed on the carbon
catalyst is also extremely sensitive to CO poisoning, so it cloth. The formulation usually contains a commercial platinum
may be necessary to use an additional reactor to reduce CO catalyst, water, Nafion™ and other solvents.
in the fuel gas if the hydrogen is derived from an alcohol
or hydrocarbon fuel. Different catalyst systems or different Results
operating conditions have been developed to increase the
During the TGA run, multiple weight losses occur which
system’s resistance to CO. PEMFC are used primarily for trans-
correspond to different components in the formulation.
portation applications and some stationary applications. Due
Figure 2 is the TGA run on the Pyris 1 TGA. As can be
to their fast startup time and favorable power-to-weight ratio,
seen, three weight losses occurred during heating, which
PEMFC are suitable for use in passenger vehicles, such as
corresponded to three different components. The information
cars and buses.
from TGA can therefore help to study the formulation
in more detail and understand the heat-treatment process
of carbon cloth.

Figure 2. TGA data of ink formulation of decomposition, showing three components.

2
Conclusion
Fuel cells are one of the cleaner energy forms. Among all the
different types of fuel cells, the polymer electrolyte membrane
fuel cell (PEMFC) is the most widely used. The membrane
electrode assembly (MEA) is the core of PEMFC. Formulations
containing platinum as a catalyst can be printed onto a carbon
cloth to make the gas diffusion electrode (GDE). TGA has been
shown to be an important tool in the study of the formulation
for QC or research purposes. In order to know what is coming
off the sample, further instrumentation such as thermogravi-
metric analysis coupled with mass spectrometry (TG-MS) needs
to be used to characterize the off gas from the TGA.

References
1. EERE (U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy) is the source for the image displayed as
Figure 1 in this application brief (http://www1.eere.energy.
gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/fuelcells/fc_types.html)

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