In a fuel cell, platinum sheathing the carbon electrodes acts as a catalyst for separating hydrogen into hydrogen ions and electrons and extracting oxygen from the air. Because platinum is expensive, fuel cell producers seek to minimize its use to keep manufacturing costs down. But simple 2-D imaging does not provide an accurate view of how efficiently platinum has been attached to an electrode.

The new 3-D technique can depict images with nanometer resolutions that, with a single glance, can reveal whether platinum is being wasted.

To generate the 3-D image, the electrode is first processed into a film that is only dozens of nanometers thick, or thin enough to allow the passage of an electron beam. This e-beam is used to capture 2-D images of the thin film from a number of different angles. Special imaging software is then used to combine a total of 140 images to create the 3-D version.

Toray Research Center provides technical services in addition to conducting R&D. It intends to start using the new procedure in April to expand its business of evaluating and analyzing electrodes for fuel cell producers.