Equipment

Due to our long-standing expertise in electrochemical technologies - from fuel cells to batteries to electrolysis and, more recently, electrosynthesis - we have a broad spectrum of methods and tools for the analysis and knowledge-based optimization of these technologies. For the characterization of electrical, electrochemical, chemical and microstructural properties of materials, components and electrochemical cells we have the following equipment at IAM-ET:

Surface treatment and preparation

• Clean room facilities for thin and thick film preparation
  • Screen printing
  • Magnetron sputter coater (von Ardenne)
  • Spincoater
• Grinding laboratory for cross-section preparation (cutting, embedding, grinding and polishing)
  • Diamond wire saw
  • Polishing and grinding equipment
• Gloveboxes for preparation of lithium-ion batteries under inert gas atmosphere

Workshops

• Electronics workshop
• Mechanical workshop

Analytical methods for microstructure and material characterization

• Scanning electron microscope with FIB and EDX (Zeiss)
• Micro-CT
• High temperature X-ray diffractometer (XRD)
• Confocal Raman microscope (Renishaw inVia Reflex)
• Light and laser microscopes (Keyence)
• Thermal analysis up to 1500°C (TG, DSC, Dilatometer)
• Density measurement

Chemical analysis

• High performance liquid chromatograph (Vanquish HPLC from Thermo Fisher Scientific) with UV-Vis detector and mass spectrometer (ESI u. APCI)
• µ-gas chromatograph for operando gas analysis
• Gas chromatograph with BID detector (Shimadzu Nexis GC-2030)
• Gas chromatograph with mass spectrometer incl. headspace application (Clarus 690/ Clarus SQ 8T HS-GC-MS from Perkin Elmar)
• Infrared spectrometer (Nicolet iS50 FTIR from Thermo Fisher Scientific)
• Operando electrochemical mass spectrometer (OEMS, EI, 1-200 amu) (OmniStar GSD 350 from Pfeiffer Vacuum)
• UV-Vis spectrophotometer with double beam optic (Thermo Scientific GENESYS 150)

Measurement technology for the electrochemical characterization of

fuel cells and electrolyzers

• Test stands for characterization of single cells and stacks for
  • High-temperature fuel cells and electrolyzers (SOFC/SOEC)
  • Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells and electrolysers (PEM-FC/PEM-EC)
  • investigation of the performance and lifetime of single cells and near-stack repeating units
  • incremental (1 cm²), segmented and large area cells
  • SOC tests with complex gas mixtures (H₂/H₂O/CO/CO₂/C_nH_m/N2/He), reformates and ammonia, poisoning experiments with impurities such as H₂S, SO2
• Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for analysis of transport properties and electrochemical processes

• Operando gas analysis for the determination of gas conversion in fuel cell and (co-)electrolysis operation

Batteries

• Test stands for characterization of lithium-ion and all-solid-state cells
• Lifetime analysis, cyclic and calendar aging of cells,
• test of different cell formats - experimental cells (EL-Cell) to large format automotive cells (round, pouch and prismatic cells up to 120 Ah), current range (incl. EIS): µA - 200 A
• electrochemical impedance spectroscopy over wide frequency ranges (mHz - MHz), measurement of low impedance systems (< 1 mW), RF impedance measurement technique (< 3 GHz) for all-solid-state cells
• Nonlinear Frequency Response Analysis
• Operando gas analysis up to 130°C for formation and high temperature battery gases.

Electrocatalysis and electrosynthesis

• Measuring stations for rotating ring and disc electrodes (Pine Research)
• Spectro-electrochemical measuring cells for operando measurements with ATR-SEIRAS (Pike Technologies / Jackfish SEC)
• Various potentiostats: Gamry 600+, 3000, 1010E, Zahner Zenium
• Various measuring cells for electrochemical measurements in batch and flow mode