The Use of Thermal Analysis in the Characterization of a Polymer Surface

Abstract

Fuel cells are electrochemical systems that convert hydrogen into electricity without combustion. A proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell power system consists of a polymer membrane, finely disbursed catalyst, and a gas humidifying system. Thermogravimetry (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) are powerful tools that can be used to characterize the physical properties of a polymer membrane. Ion chromatography can monitor the presence of contaminating ions in the aqueous condensate. TGA can easily measure the distribution of metal atalysts on a polymer surface due to the much lower decomposition temperature of the polymer. DSC can be used to measure the concentration of Teflon in a polymer blend by measuring the melting energy.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 1999
Accession Number
ADA361108

Entities

People

  • Allison Welty
  • Mark F. Fleszar

Organizations

  • United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Catalysts
  • Cells
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Chromatography
  • Decomposition
  • Elements
  • Emission Spectroscopy
  • Energy
  • Engineering
  • Fuel Cells
  • Hydrogen
  • Membranes
  • Oxidation
  • Physical Properties
  • Protons
  • Standards
  • Thermal Analysis

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Electrochemical Engineering/ Fuel Cell Technologies
  • Oncology and Biomarker-Based Cancer Detection.
  • Thermal Physics or Thermal Science.

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology