1. Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing Eric Stanfield MEL Fuel Cell Project Manager

2. Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing Background Information Currently Most Popular: PEMFC DMFC(PEM) SOFC Others: MCFC PAFC AFC Applications: Transportation – PEM, Stationary – SOFC, PEM, Portable & Aux - All

3. Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing Engineering Data → Tolerance Determination Measurements, Standards, and Approaches to Meeting Contractual Traceability Requirements Process Control: Sensor Evaluation and Techniques Reference Metrology Catalyst Coated: Membranes (CCM) Gas Diffusion Layers (GDE) Bipolar Plates Metal Carbon Precompetitive Manufacturing Issues

4. Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing

5. Effort Overview Timeline October 1, 2007 September 30, 2011 Barriers 1 B.Lack of High-Speed Bipolar Plate Manufacturing Processes F.Low Levels of Quality Control and Inflexible Processes 1 Manufacturing R&D and Fuel Cells sections of the DOE Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies Program Multi-Year Research, Development and Demonstration Plan Overall Budget Past Funding FY07 –DOE $0K –NIST (ATP) $200K FY08 –DOE $300K –NIST $300K Under New Interagency Agreement FY09-FY11 FY09 –DOE $500K (9/09) –NIST Est. $100K+ FY10 –DOE $500K (~3/10) –NIST $100K + FY11 –DOE $500K (Anticipated)

6. Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing Subprojects and Objectives P1 Cause-and-Effect: Flow Field Plate Manufacturing Variability and it’s Impact on Performance Objective: Develop engineering data relating performance variation to manufacturing process parameters and variability. P2 Non-Contact Sensor Evaluation for Bi-polar Plate Manufacturing Process Control and Smart Assembly of Fuel Cell Stacks. Objective: (1) Identify and evaluate the capability and uncertainty of commercially available non-contact, high-speed scanning technologies for applicability to bi-polar plate manufacturing process control. (2) Using capabilities identified in (1) demonstrate smart assembly concept. P3 Optical Scatterfield Metrology for Online Catalyst Coating Inspection of PEM (Fuel Cell) Soft Goods. Objective: (1) Evaluate the suitability of Optical Scatterfield Microscopy as a viable measurement tool for in-situ process control of catalyst coatings. (2) Provide reference metrology support under the NREL/NIST Collaboration

7. Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing Funding Breakdown by Subproject

8. Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing Subproject #1 Overview Cause-and-Effect: Flow Field Plate Manufacturing Variability and its Impact on Performance Approach: Using a statistically based design-of-experiments, fabricate experimental “cathode” side flow field plates with various well defined combinations of flow field channel dimensional variations; then through single cell fuel cell performance testing using a well defined protocol, quantify the performance affects, if any, and correlate these results into required dimensional fabrication tolerance levels. NIST Dimensional Metrology Manufacturing Metrology Statistical Engineering LANL Operational Knowledge Advanced Testing Facilities

9. Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing Design of Experiments: Full Factorial 2 4-1

10. Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing Reference Metrology for Reverse Engineering and Mfg Parameter Verification

11. Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing MEL/EEEL Single Cell Performance Testing

12. Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing Subproject #2 Overview Non-Contact Sensor Evaluation for Bipolar Plate Manufacturing Process Control and Smart Assembly of Fuel Cell Stacks. Approach: The development and/or evaluation of high-speed non-contact sensors and systems for application in process control of bipolar plates. The evaluation will include: Suitability based on typical plate materials and methods of fabrication Dimensional parameters of interest Development of measurement protocols sensor evaluation plate evaluation Accuracy evaluation as a function of scan speed Approaches to achieving contractual traceability requirements Demonstrate Smart Assembly Concept

13. Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing Common Bipolar Plate Manufacturing Processes and Materials Processes Conventional Stamping Kinetic Stamping Etching Compression Molding Injection Molding Hydroforming Materials: Metallic (Coated) Carbon Composite

14. Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing Non-Contact Sensor Evaluation Testbed

15. Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing Subproject #3 Overview Optical Scatterfield Metrology for Online Catalyst Coating Inspection of PEM (Fuel Cell) Soft Goods Approach: Using catalyst coated samples provided by manufacturers with variations in critical parameters (i.e. Pt loading, porosity, particle size, defects) characterized using standard industry methods (XRF, SEM); evaluate the Optical Scatterfield Metrology Tool’s sensitivity to these parameters. Parameter #1: Catalyst Loading (mg/cm 2 ) If successful, then: CCMs from various manufuacturers GDEs from various manufacturers and on both woven cloth and paper. CCMs where platinum is in the presence of other metallic alloys. Future parameters: Work in progress! NIST/NREL Collaboration Relationships with CCM & GDE manufacturers.

16. Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing Interrelationship Between NIST/NREL Collaboration and OSM Project

17. Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing Examples of Results NIST/NREL Collaboration NREL Defect Study NIST Helios Dual-Beam FIB SEM Generated 100 um Diameter Hole Defect in Membrane Material with Gallium Rastered Surface for Gallium Contamination Testing OSM Project – Tool Sensitivity to Pt Loading 150X, snap-snap-snap150X, 3 locations avg Experimental data acquired on a fully custom scatterfield microscope platform. This instrument uses tailored illumination designed to optimize scanned illumination at the conjugate back focal plane.

18. Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing More Information Precision Engineering 2009 Program Technical Accomplishments, pp 42-45, 2010 http://www.nist.gov/mel/ped/index.cfm Past DOE Project Reports Related to “Metrology for Fuel Cell Manufacturing” http://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/progress08/vi _3_stanfield.pdf For all NIST Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Activities: www.nist.gov/hydrogen Multi-Year Research, Development and Demonstration Plan: Planned Program Activities for 2005-2015 (Manufacturing Section 3.5)(2009) http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/ mypp/pdfs/manufacturing.pdf Manufacturing the Future: Federal Priorities for Manufacturing R&D, http://www.manufacturing.gov/pdf/NSTCIWGMFGR D_March2008_Report.pdf