Infrared thermography for mapping catalyst distribution and detecting defects in PEM fuel cell and electrolyzer electrodes
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells and electrolyzers require reliable quality control methods to assess catalyst distribution on electrode surfaces. Non-uniform catalyst deposition may reduce performance, increase platinum waste, and promote local degradation. In this work, infrared thermography is proposed as a rapid and automatable method for generating catalyst distribution maps and detecting localized defects in catalyst-coated electrodes. The method exploits the thermal response generated by the localized exothermic reaction between a H 2 /N 2 gas mixture and the Pt-based catalyst layer. A production-line-compatible setup was developed by directing the reactive gas mixture through a metallic nozzle moved by a Cartesian robot. The effects of nozzle diameter, nozzle-to-electrode distance, scanning speed and direction, hydrogen concentration, and total flow rate were investigated to define suitable operating conditions. The selected configuration used a 0.33 mm nozzle, a 3 mm nozzle-to-electrode distance, and a scanning speed of 3000 mm min −1 . A simplified CFD model supported interpretation of the experimental results by correlating temperature increase with gas-jet impact pressure. The optimized procedure enabled thermal mapping of the electrode surface. Catalyst-rich and catalyst-poor regions were identified through local temperature variations, while localized defects appeared as thermal singularities.
Source: Journal of Power Sources
Language: English
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,230
OpenAlex ID: W7220724801