Understanding Membrane Failure in PEMFC: Comparison of Diagnostic Tools at Different Observation Scales

Polyelectrolyte membrane used in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) should act as a barrier to hydrogen and electrons. In the present work, fast and robust specific tools were developed both to characterize these properties and localize defects, such as pinholes or short‐circuits, within the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). The identification of defective cells without disassembling the Axane's stack was performed in a single step through a passive electrical technique so‐called “relaxometry” and by internal gas leak measurements. The flaws were further tracked inside MEA using Infrared Thermography in order to obtain their precise location. The latter, performed after stack disassembly, permitted to reveal the defects responsible for the Fuel Cell shutdown. A third step dealt with SEM examinations of the flaws in order to identify the origin and nature of the membrane failure.