Nafion® polymeric membranes are the prime electrolyte material for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), which require adequate hydration in order to reach high proton conductivity. The relatively high attenuation of terahertz (THz) radiation of liquid water compared to the surrounding polymer assembly enables a contrast to be observed for inspecting water build-up in Nafion® membranes. This paper investigates the feasibility of a compact THz camera for liquid water mapping and quantification in Nafion® polymeric membrane.
Water states in proton exchange membranes have previously been extracted using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) for thick Nafion membranes. In this work, we have developed a parametric based algorithm for data analysis and applied it to thin industrially relevant membranes (13-70µm), processed under different conditions, producing results consistent with conventional gravimetric analysis and prior demonstrations. This therefore opens up opportunities for rapid membrane investigations and understanding.
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