What the facility does
Engineering-oriented research on fuel cells and other electrochemical energy technologies.
Areas of expertise
At the Fuel Cell Research Lab (FCReL), our mission is to support the industrial development of fuel cells and other electrochemical energy technologies with high performance, high durability, and low cost. The lab's feature research on hydrogen polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) focuses on enhancing the durability and reliability of the membrane electrode assembly. The facilities are customized with state-of-the-art equipment and capabilities for in situ and ex situ testing, characterization, analysis, and modelling of fuel cell, water electrolyser, and flow battery materials, components, devices, and systems.
Research services
- Fuel cell, water electrolyser, and flow battery testing and diagnostics
- Material characterization
- Mechanical property measurements
- Dynamic mechanical analysis
- Rapid mechanical durability evaluation
- Porosimetry analysis
- Gas sorption and surface area measurements
- Hydrogen storage capacity measurements
- Dynamic contact angle and surface free energy measurements
- Microfluidics experimentation
- Failure analysis
- Nanomaterial synthesis
- Fabrication of membrane electrode assemblies
- Microfabrication
- Computational modelling of electrochemical devices
- Advanced lifecycle assessment of vehicles
Sectors of application
- Automotive
- Clean technology
- Energy
- Manufacturing and processing
- Transportation
Specialized labs and equipment
| Specialized lab | Equipment | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen Testing Lab | Greenlight Innovation G40 PEM Fuel Cell Test Station | Comprehensive, automated medium-scale proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell testing and electrochemical diagnostics of single cells and short stacks. Analyze key metrics such as energy efficiency, power density, and internal resistance, providing precise performance and durability insights under diverse conditions. |
| Greenlight Innovation G20 PEM Fuel Cell Test Station (3) | Comprehensive, automated single-cell proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell testing and electrochemical diagnostics. Analyze key metrics such as energy efficiency, power density, and internal resistance, providing precise performance and durability insights under diverse conditions. | |
| Greenlight Innovation G60 PEM Fuel Cell Test Station | Comprehensive, automated large-scale proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell testing and electrochemical diagnostics of single cells and short stacks. Analyze key metrics such as energy efficiency, power density, and internal resistance, providing precise performance and durability insights under diverse conditions. | |
| Greenlight Innovation E60 Electrolyser Test Station | Comprehensive, automated large-scale water electrolyser testing and electrochemical diagnostics, measuring hydrogen production, gas purity, and energy consumption. Supports testing under varied conditions, ensuring precise performance and durability insights for large single cells and stacks up to 10 kW. | |
| Greenlight Innovation E30 Electrolyser Test Station | Comprehensive, automated small-scale water electrolyser testing and electrochemical diagnostics, measuring hydrogen production, gas purity, and energy consumption. Supports testing under varied conditions, ensuring precise performance and durability insights for small- and medium-scale single cells. | |
| Volumetric gas sorption measurement apparatus (custom-made) | Measure hydrogen absorption and desorption. | |
| XEMIS gravimetric gas sorption measurement apparatus | Measure hydrogen absorption and desorption. | |
| Gamry Reference 3000 Potentiostats (4) | Electrochemical analysis, including potentiostatic, galvanostatic, and impedance measurements with up to 4 channels. | |
| Gamry Reference 30K Booster | Works with Gamry Reference 3000 Potentiostat to increase current limit up to 30 A with compliance limits of +20 and -2.5 V. | |
| Gamry Interface 5000E Potentiostats (3) | Electrochemical analysis, including potentiostatic, galvanostatic, and impedance measurements with up to 5 channels. | |
| Autosorb iQ-C-XR Surface Area and Pore Size Analyzer | Measure BET (Brunauer, Emmett and Teller) surface area and pore size distribution. | |
| SMS Inverse Gas Chromatography Surface Energy Analyzer (iGC-SEA) | Characterize surface energy and room temperature BET (Brunauer, Emmett and Teller). | |
| Tube furnace | Two-foot tube furnace with gas/vacuum system, programmable, max temperature of 1200 °C. | |
| Muffle furnace | High-temperature furnace, programmable, max temperature of 1200 °C. | |
| Centrifuge | Max volume: 1.6L, rotations up to 16000 rpm. | |
| SRS Universal Gas Analyzer (UGA) | Characterize gas. | |
| Labconco FreeZone 4.5L Freeze Dryer | Lyophilize light to moderate sample loads. | |
| Specialty Coating Systems SCS G3P-8 Spin Coater | Provide a precise coating of materials. | |
| Fabrication and Characterization Lab | TA Instruments DMA Q800 Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer with DMA-RH and cooling accessories | Provide tensile, compression, bending, and immersion testing of mechanical, thermal, and hygral material properties. Dynamic Mechanical Analysis with Relative Humidity (DMA-RH) accessory for humidity and temperature control. Cooling accessory for sub-ambient temperature control. |
| TA Instruments Discovery DMA Q850 Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer with DMA-RH and cooling accessories | Deliver precise, versatile, and user-friendly dynamic mechanical analysis, with advanced controls, high-resolution data, temperature and humidity control, and efficient cooling to -100 °C, ensuring reliable material testing. | |
| Greenlight Innovation Flow Battery Test Station | Automated performance and durability testing and diagnostics of redox flow batteries. | |
| Greenlight Innovation Porosimeter Equipment | Measure hydrophilic and hydrophobic pores using Method of Standard Porosimetry (MSP). | |
| Biolin Scientific Attension Tensiometer | Analyze surface tension. Measure advancing and receding contact angle. | |
| TMI Dynamic Peel and Adhesion Tester | Measure adhesion and peel strength. | |
| Microfluidics LM20 Microfluidizer High Shear Fluid Processor | Prepare catalyst/solution ink. | |
| FTIR Spectrometer | Characterize material through Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). | |
| Leica EM ACE200 Vacuum Coater | Produce metal or carbon coating of materials for electron microscopy (EM). | |
| Cross Section Polisher | Prepare samples for high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM). | |
| Carver Press | Thermally press layered materials such as catalyst coated membrane (CCM) and membrane electrode assembly (MEA). | |
| Hudson Swing Beam Cutting Press | Cut materials. | |
| Roll-to-roll coating system | R2R (roll-to-roll) processing. Fabrication method for thin-film ink coating on roll good substrates. | |
| KEYENCE VHX-5000 Series Digital Microscope | Analyze and inspect surfaces. | |
| Thermo Scientific DXR2 Raman Microscope | Perform Raman spectroscopy. | |
| TESCAN VEGA3 LMH Scanning Electron Microscope with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM/EDX) | Spectroscopic and microscopic materials characterization. | |
| ZEISS Xradia 520 Versa Micro X-ray Microscope | Computed Tomography (CT). 3D non-destructive material characterization and inspection (<700 nm spatial resolution). | |
| ZEISS Xradia 810 Ultra Nano X-ray Microscope | Computed Tomography (CT). 3D non-destructive material characterization and inspection (<50 nm spatial resolution). | |
| TQC Sheen Coating Table | Film coating system to ensure precise, uniform coatings for R&D, supporting diverse substrates and methods like slot-die and doctor blade coatings. | |
| MTI Corporation OTF-1200X High Temperature Tube Furnace | Oven Tube Furnace (OTF). Precise thermal processing for R&D, supporting sintering and material synthesis. Designed for materials science, chemistry, and nanotechnology, it provides uniform heating up to 1,800°C with advanced temperature control. Compatible with air, inert gas, vacuum, and reducing environments, it ensures consistent, high-quality results. | |
| Cole-Parmer High-Performance Centrifuge | Enable rapid, precise separation of liquid sample components, with advanced speed and temperature control. Ideal for materials science, chemistry, biotechnology, and nanotechnology, it ensures efficient isolation and reproducible results. | |
| HINOTEK Lab High Speed Homogenizer FSH-2A | Enable rapid homogenization, emulsification, and dispersion, ensuring consistent results across various viscosities and sample types. Compact and user-friendly, it delivers reliable performance for diverse research and industrial applications. |
Private and public sector research partners
- Ballard Power Systems Inc.
- Greenlight Innovation
- Ionomr Innovations
- Mercedes-Benz Canada
- Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.
- Hydrogen In Motion Inc.
- National Research Council Canada
Additional information
| Title | Hyperlink |
|---|---|
| SFU (FCRel), Mitacs and Partners greenlight research to advance Canada's hydrogen strategy | http://www.sfu.ca/dashboard/faculty-staff/news/2023/05/sfu--mitacs-and-partners--greenlight--resea… |
| SFU Fuel Cell Research Laboratory (FCRel): Advancing sustainable energy systems through community-engaged research | http://www.sfu.ca/fas/research/labs/fuel-cell.html |
| SFU (FCRel)-Ballard partnership driving green solutions | http://www.sfu.ca/dashboard/faculty-staff/news/2023/04/sfu-ballard-partnership-driving-green-solut… |