% IMPORTANT: The following is UTF-8 encoded. This means that in the presence
% of non-ASCII characters, it will not work with BibTeX 0.99 or older.
% Instead, you should use an up-to-date BibTeX implementation like “bibtex8” or
% “biber”.
@INPROCEEDINGS{Borowec:1048727,
author = {Borowec, Julian and Rein, Lukas and Poc, Jean-Pierre and
Gorin, Nelli and Basak, Shibabrata and Dobrenizki, Ladislaus
and Schmid, Günter and Jodat, Eva and Karl, André and
Eichel, Rüdiger-A. and Hausen, Florian},
title = {{N}anomechanical and {N}anoelectrical {A}nalysis of
{P}roton {E}xchange {M}embrane {E}lectrolyzer {E}lectrodes},
reportid = {FZJ-2025-04849},
year = {2025},
abstract = {Understanding the aging process of proton exchange membrane
electrolyzer cells(PEMECs) is crucial for improving their
durability. To this end, a more than 5000 h
operatedweb-woven reinforced membrane electrode assembly
(MEA) was investigated usingnanoindentation and
nanomechanical and nanoelectrical atomic force microscopy
(AFM)techniques. Within this work, investigations on the MEA
anode are presented,[1] and areextended by analysis of the
MEA cathode for a more complete understanding of
electrodeaging.The web-woven reinforcement fibers locally
increase the nanomechanical properties andwere found to be a
suitable reinforcement for long-term operation. Strikingly,
a slightlydiminished electrically conductive surface area
was observed above reinforcement fiberintersections
highlighting a local fiber influence.While the cathode
slightly hardened and heterogenized, the surface ionomer
exhibited astable nature. To the contrary, significant anode
aging was observed, especially at poroustransport layer
(PTL) related marks. At these marks, an increased conductive
surface areawas shown by AFM, and a hardness increase was
shown by nanoindentation. These effectson the anode are
attributed to a loss of electrically conductive and soft
ionomer.This work enhances the understanding of electrode
aging focusing on the impact ofreinforcement fibers and
PTL.[1] Borowec, Julian, et al, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2025, 13,
6347-6356.},
month = {Jul},
date = {2025-07-01},
organization = {European Fuel Cell Forum 2025, Lucerne
(Switzerland), 1 Jul 2025 - 4 Jul 2025},
subtyp = {After Call},
cin = {IET-1 / IET-4},
cid = {I:(DE-Juel1)IET-1-20110218 / I:(DE-Juel1)IET-4-20191129},
pnm = {1231 - Electrochemistry for Hydrogen (POF4-123) / HITEC -
Helmholtz Interdisciplinary Doctoral Training in Energy and
Climate Research (HITEC) (HITEC-20170406)},
pid = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-1231 / G:(DE-Juel1)HITEC-20170406},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)6},
url = {https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/1048727},
}