Scanning Electron Microscopy Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy Analysis of Catalyst-Coated Porous Transport Layers
Authors: van Eijk Lonneke , Stelmacovich Genevieve , Khandavalli Sunilkumar , Ding Lei , Zhang Feng Yuan , Mauger Scott A , Paxson Adam , Pylypenko Svitlana 
Published: August 2024

The transition of the United States energy infrastructure towards hydrogen energy involves the optimization of proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) for reliable hydrogen generation. PEMWE device typically consists of titanium porous transport layer (PTL) and an iridium-based anode catalyst layer. Several directions are being pursued to improve performance and to reduce the costs. To mitigate naturally occurring titanium passivation, protective coatings, typically platinum or other platinum-group metals (PGMs) are commonly applied to the PTLs. The drive to decrease the cost and the use of scarce materials has led to the development of catalyst layers with lower catalyst loadings. Reducing fabrication time and cost as well as increasing efficiency of the anode has led to the investigation of direct application of the iridium-based catalyst onto the Pt-coated Ti PTL. This motivated our investigation of porous-transport electrodes (PTEs) prepared with a variety of deposition methods, using different ink formulations, and targeting different catalyst loadings. There is need to develop a characterization approach that can be used to assess and compare quality of coatings across large parameter space or to monitor quality during production.

Several sets of PTEs samples consisting of a titanium porous layer, platinum protective coating and iridium-based catalyst layer were prepared using a wide range of catalyst layer coating methods and parameters, including spray coating, gravure, airbrush and electrodeposition. All samples were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) to analyze the elemental composition and assess the distribution of elements of interest (Ti, Pt, and Ir). First, the atomic% of each element was used to calculate elemental ratios for quantitative assessment of the amount of deposited catalyst. However, it is crucial to recognize the limitations of relying solely on this information for assessing catalyst coating since it doesn’t account for heterogeneity of the coatings. Although elemental maps provide valuable insights into spatial distribution, they alone do not offer a complete picture. To better understand the catalyst coating distribution, each individual EDS elemental map was used to calculate the surface area, which served as a measure of PTL area covered by the catalyst. Further, surface area ratios (Pt/Ir) were calculated to determine variations in surface coverage. This poster will highlight differences between fabricated samples and will demonstrate that together, at% and surface area ratio values allow for a comprehensive quantitative assessment of the composition and distribution of catalyst surfaces that were produced through a wide range of fabrication variables. The implementation of proper characterization of these PTEs can help aid future decisions on which parameters should be used moving forward. This approach can also be used for quality control, enabling quick screening of commercially produced samples.