Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Analysis, prediction and understanding of various membrane properties (hydration, transport, mechanical) in relation to their chemical and structural features enabled by existing data libraries to help and guide new data collection and membrane modeling
morphological characterization of ionomer membranes using transmission small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) in situ, with capabilities to probe nanostructural and crystalline features in dry and hydrated conditions as a function of temperature (30-100% RH in ambient. from 25°C to 90°C in liquid, and up to 200°C for dry environment)
Determine swelling of nanometer-thick ionomer thin films (10-200 nm) on supports to mimic the hydration response of electrode/catalyst ionomers in controlled environment
Microelectrode and microcavity electrode setup to evaluate catalyst and membrane materials. Independent control of atmosphere (gas type and RH) at the working and reference electrodes
Compressive-Tensile testing of membranes to determine their stress-strain response and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) with environmental control to monitor thermal-mechanical response of membranes (stiffness, storage and loss moduli, glass transition, relaxation)
Membrane Testing System and AC Impedance & DC with Environmental Control (RH, temperature) for measuring membrane conductivity in the plane (4-probe) and thickness (between GDE/electrodes)