14 Externe wissenschaftliche Einrichtungen
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Item Open Access Reinforcement of precursor-derived Si-(B-)C-N ceramics with carbon nanotubes(2005) Katsuda, Yuji; Aldinger, Fritz (Prof. Dr.)Incorporation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into the precursor-derived Si-(B-)C-N ceramics has been investigated for the reinforcement of the materials. Different types of CNTs consisting of multi-wall (MW) and single-wall (SW) were examined as the reinforcement of the Si-(B-)C-N ceramics to make a comparison of the effect. Mechanical properties demonstrated in the Si-(B-)C-N/CNT nanocomposites have been discussed in connection with their microstructural features characterized by scanning electron (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Other material properties of the nanocomposites as revealed on the thermal stability and the crystallization behavior have been also considered in relation to the microstructural characteristics of the nanocomposites. Dense Si-C-N/CNT nanocomposites containing different types of MWCNTs were successfully prepared by casting of a mixture of MWCNTs and a liquid precursor polymer followed by cross-linking and thermolysis. In these processes, the sonication for deagglomeration and dispersion of CNTs in the precursor polymer as well as the thermolysis condition for ceramization of the cross-linked precursor/CNT nanocomposites was examined to obtain homogeneously CNT distributed Si-C-N ceramics. Fracture toughness behavior of the Si-C-N/CNT nanocomposites has been evaluated by a thermal loading technique on the disc shaped materials. The results reveal a dependence of the fracture toughness on the type of the MWCNTs. The MWCNTs showing high integrity in the tube structure exhibit a remarkable increase in the fracture toughness at the CNT content of 1 – 2 mass %, whereas the other ones possessing amorphous nature exhibits no effect. The microstructural analyses at the fracture surfaces have demonstrated different features of CNTs between both nanocomposites, where pulling out and breaking of CNTs are considered to be reasons for the observed fracture toughness increase. No significant influences observed on the material properties of the Si-C-N/CNT nanocomposites besides the toughening indicates that CNTs can simply work as the reinforcement for the Si-C-N ceramics. SWCNTs incorporation into the Si-C-N materials has revealed toughening effect with similar microstructural features to the MWCNT reinforced Si-C-N nanocomposites. In this system, it was found that the deagglomeration and debundle of the SWCNTs are major issues to make the best use of SWCNTs as the reinforcements. Concerning the Si-B-C-N/CNT nanocomposites, preparation processes via a casting and a warm pressing from different types of boron-containing precursors have been investigated to produce rigid MWCNT nanocomposites. The observed pulling out and breaking CNTs structure at the fracture surfaces of the Si-B-C-N/CNT nanocomposites indicate the toughening effect of CNTs similar to Si-C-N/CNT ceramics. Moreover, the interaction between CNTs and the matrix has appeared to be changed with increasing thermolysis temperature. However, the crystallization of the Si-B-C-N matrix and the deterioration of thermal stability have been disclosed in the Si-B-C-N/CNT nanocomposites. It is revealed that embedded CNTs have an effect to accelerate or to generate nucleation sites for the crystallization of Si-B-C-N matrix.Item Open Access Low temperature sintering additives for silicon nitride(2003) Matovic, Branko; Aldinger, Fritz (Prof. Dr.)Pressureless sintering of Si3N4 with two new additives based on the Li2O-Y2O3 system (LiYO2) and on the Li2O-Al2O3-SiO2 system (LiAlSiO4) were investigated in this study. Experiments were conducted in the areas of powder processing, sintering optimization, phase transformation characterization and microstructural development. Sintered materials were characterized by fracture toughness and thermal diffusivity measurements. The experimental results are summarized in the following: Using three different mechanical mixing processes (attrition milling, ball milling and vibratory milling) for the introduction of additives (LiYO2) into Si3N4 powders, the best results are obtained for attrition milling. This method yields a good dispersion of the additive powder in fine unagglomerated Si3N4 without contamination. It also yields good sintering characteristics. For the LiYO2 system, the densification depends largely on the content of sintering additive. A larger amount of additive means a higher volume of liquid phase, which is favorable for efficient particle rearrangement resulting in higher values of density rate. In case of the LiAlSiO4 additive, it is found that the densification is less dependent on the additive content. The overall sintering kinetics at the low temperatures is less retarded when using the LiYO2 additive in comparison to the LiAlSiO4 additive, resulting in higher densities obtained at lower temperatures and shorter annealing times. With prolonged heating time, the differences in the degree of densification become smaller. The kinetics of phase transformation in the both systems are found to be of first order. In the LiYO2 system, the transformation rate constant increases with increasing additive content. While the opposite behavior is noticed in case of the LiAlSiO4 additive, i.e. the rate constant decreases with higher additive content. The phase transformation is always completed at a later stage than the densification. The lag between the two phenomena in the sintering process is more pronounced with the Li2O-Al2O3-SiO2 additive system. The alpha to beta Si3N4 transformation is accompanied by grain growth. Upon prolongation of the annealing time the grain size and the morphology of the growing beta-Si3N4 particles are significantly changed from equiaxed to elongated. The grain growth becomes anisotropic, leading to rod-like betaƒ{Si3N4 crystals. The growth rate is higher in the LiYO2 system than in the LiAlSiO4 system. At 1600„aC, the microstructure of Si3N4 ceramics sintered with both the additives is characterized by a homogeneous distribution of elongated beta Si3N4 grains and glassy phase located in thin layers at grain boundaries and at triple points. The maximum values obtained for fracture toughness are 6.8 and 6.2 for the materials sintered with LiYO2 and LiAlSiO4 additives, respectively, at 1600„aC for 8 h. The higher value of fracture toughness in the LiYO2 system is attributed to its microstructure with a higher aspect ratio of the elongated beta-Si3N4 grains. Thermal conductivity of the material sintered with the LiYO2 additive is higher in comparison to that sintered with LiAlSiO4 additive. In the LiAlSiO4 system, partial dissolution of Al3+ in the beta-Si3N4 grains results in increasing phonon scattering and hence decreases the thermal conductivity.Item Open Access Segregation and phase transformations at interfaces(2004) López, Gabriel Alejandro; Mittemeijer, Eric Jan (Prof. Dr. Ir.)Important properties of metallic materials are strongly influenced by the behavior of interfaces, e.g. grain boundaries and free surfaces. Therefore the understanding of processes, which can change this behavior, have become of great importance from both the theoretical and the practical point of view. To these processes belong the grain boundary and surface segregation, the discontinuous precipitation as well as the grain boundary wetting. A particular goal of this work was to investigate the grain boundary and surface segregation in the Cu-Bi system under exactly the same conditions. The diffusivities of moving grain boundaries was determined in the Cu-In system applying, for the first time, a local analysis of growth kinetics of the discontinuous precipitation reaction. The Al-MG and Al-Zn systems were studied systematically regarding grain boundary wetting, in order to find an explanation for the enormous superplastic behavior of alloys based on these systems. The grain boundary and surface segregation were studied in the Cu-Bi system under identical conditions by using a special sample preparation procedure. After annealing of the samples at temperatures between 1073 and 1223 K segregation of Bi at grain boundaries and internal free surfaces in Cu bicrystals was accomplished. For the first time, Bi segregation at free surfaces was determined under equilibrium conditions. The segregation of Bi at the free surfaces was clearly stronger than at the grain boundaries. The morphology and kinetics of the discontinuous precipitation reaction were comprehensively studied in a Cu-4.5 At,% in alloy. Special attention was given to the determination of the concentration gradients remaining in the solute-depleted matrix. The grain boundary diffusion coefficient was determined applying a local interpretation of growth kinetics and thus the discrepancy between two differently models was eliminated. Finally the wetting behavior in Al-Mg and Al-Zn alloys was studied by a metallographic investigation. With this purpose cross-sections of samples with different compositions, which had been annelaed at different temperatures, were prepared and examined afterwards. The wetting behavior plays a substantial role regarding the mechanical characteristics of these alloys. For the first time, the formation of a second solid layer at the grain boundaries was disccussed in terms of wetting by a solid phase. During the accomplished investigations the possibilities of the analytic transmission electron microscopy were mainly used. Concentration profiles within nm range could be determined thanks to the high resolution of this technique. Furthermore Auger electron spectroscopy, light and scanning electron microscopy, as well as microanalysis and X-ray diffraction analyses were used, in order to achieve the above-mentioned goals of this work.Item Open Access Precipitation of nitrides in iron-based binary and ternary alloys; influence of defects and transformation-misfit stresses(2015) Akhlaghi, Maryam; Mittemeijer, Eric Jan (Prof. Dr. Ir.)The initial microstructure of the unnitrided specimen has a significant influence on the nitriding response of binary Fe-Me (Me: Mo or Al) alloys specimens. This effect was not investigated until now for the case of nitrided ternary Fe-Me1-Me2 alloys, the role of the initial microstructure was studied upon nitriding Fe-4.1 at.% Cr-7.9 at.% Al specimens. To this end, the recrystallized and cold-rolled specimens were nitrided at low nitriding temperature of 400 °C. Upon precipitation of misfitting coherent nitrides during nitriding of thin-foils of binary Fe-Me (Me: Cr and V) alloys, a hydrostatic tensile lattice-stain component results from the elastic accommodation of volume misfit of nitrides and ferrite matrix. The change of the ferrite-matrix lattice parameter can be traced upon precipitation of the nitrides by X-ray diffraction measurements. The theory originally developed for the case of imperfections (by Eshelby) in solids can be applied for quantitatively describing the lattice-parameter changes of the matrix, the nitrides and the aggregate (matrix+ nitrides) as function of volume fraction and type of nitrides.Item Open Access Elektrische und magnetische Eigenschaften metallreicher Seltenerdmetallhalogenide(2004) Ryazanov, Mikhail; Simon Arndt (Prof. Dr.)Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurden metallreiche Seltenerdmetallhalogenide unterschiedlicher Valenzelektronenkonzentration dargestellt und ihre physikalischen Eigenschaften untersucht. Dafür wurde sowohl der Weg des Einbaus von Interstitialwasserstoffatomen in die Kristallstruktur als auch die Möglichkeit der Kationen- bzw. Anionensubstitution beschritten. Es wurden Hydridiodide und ternaere Iodidtelluride von Y, La und Gd synthetisiert und charakterisiert. Magnetische und elektrische Messungen weisen auf eine erhebliche Änderung der physikalischen Eigenschaften in Abhängigkeit vom Wasserstoffgehalt hin. Es wurden verschiedene auffallende Effekte, wie z.B. Kolossal-Magnetwiderstand sowie auch Spinclusterglas-Verhalten, beobachtet.Item Open Access Fatigue of Al thin films at ultra high frequencies(2005) Eberl, Christoph; Arzt, Eduard (Prof. Dr. phil.)Ultra high-cycle fatigue at frequencies in the GHz regime leads to a characteristic void and extrusion formation in patterned metal thin films. Resulting from the microstructural damage formation a significant degradation in form of a shift of the resonance frequency and failures by short circuits in Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) test devices take place. To study fatigue at ultra high cycles, SAW test devices were used to test continuous and patterned Al thin films at ultra high frequencies. For stress amplitudes as low as 14 MPa lifetime measurements showed no fatigue limit for 400 nm Al thin films. The resulting damage sites appeared in regions of cyclic stress concentration as identified by Finite Element Analysis. In situ measurements revealed that the characteristic extrusion/void formation mechanism operates on a short time scale. The post-test analysis of microstructural changes reveals extrusion and void formation concentrated at grain boundaries. This finding and the observed grain growth indicates a high material flux at the grain boundaries induced by the cyclic load. Quantitative analysis also shows a correlation between extrusion density and electrical devices performance. This direct correlation shows a functional agreement with a common theory on the influence of crack density on intrinsic stresses in thin metal films. Advanced Finite Element (FEM) calculations simulate very well the sensitivity of the resonance frequency to damage structure in interconnects such as cracks, voids and extrusions. The experimentally observed linear correlation between damage density and frequency shift is reproduced by the FEM model. The estimation of the short circuit probability from the extrusion length distribution revealed an exponential dependency on the electrode distance. The observed damage formation is explained by the combined action of dislocation motion and stress-induced diffusion processes.Item Open Access Towards spin injection into silicon(2007) Dash, Saroj Prasad; Carstanjen, Heinz Dieter (Prof. Dr.)The efficient spin injection into semiconductors could pave the way to a new generation of electronics devices such as spin memories, spin transistors, and spin quantum computers. The most important semiconductor for industrial application, Si has been studied for the purpose of spin injection extensively in this thesis. Three different concepts for spin injection into Si have been addressed: (1) spin injection through a ferromagnet-Si Schottky contact, (2) spin injection using MgO tunnel barriers in between the ferromagnet and Si, and (3) spin injection from Mn-doped Si (DMS) as spin aligner. (1) FM-Si Schottky contact for spin injection: In a heterostructure of a ferromagnetic thin film on a Si substrate, any structural disorder at the interface would drastically reduce the spin polarization at the interface and, hence, the spin injection efficiency. To be able to improve the interface qualities one needs to understand the atomic processes involved in the formation of such silicide phases. In order to obtain more detailed insight into the formation of such silicide phases the initial stages of growth of Co and Fe were studied in situ by HRBS with monolayer depth resolution. As understood, it was important to prohibit the in-diffusion of Co into interstitial sites at the initial stages of growth and the out-diffusion of Si atoms in the latter stages. So in order to control and improve the interface, equilibrium growth conditions were followed (i) by lowering the growth temperature and (ii) by surfactant-mediated growth. Low temperature growth of Co on Si (100): Already at very low coverage Co diffusion into the bulk Si has been observed. The amount of in-diffused Co is, however, less than at room temperature. In contradiction to room temperature growth, Co atoms form layers of pure Co on top of the Si surface already at very low coverage. Every second Si layer, starting with the first Si layer, is Co depleted. This leads to an oscillatory Co distribution in the Si lattice which is preserved up to higher coverages (1.3 ML). Surfactant-mediated growth of Co on Si (100) : The lower surface free energy of Sb in comparison to Co and Si, makes it a potential candidate for surfactant mediated growth. By the use of one monolayer of Sb adsorbed on a Si (100) surface, Co-Si intermixing at the interface is strongly reduced in comparison to the interface without Sb as surfactant. The improved interface quality with Sb-mediated growth is also reflected in magnetic measurements. Co with Sb-mediated growth shows a higher magnetic moment. It was shown that simple solutions can reduce the FM-Si inter diffusion at the interface and improve the interface quality. However these non-equilibrium growth conditions could not stop the silicide formation completely. (2) MgO tunnel barrier for spin injection into Si: On the other hand, using an ultra-thin tunnel barrier between FM and Si will have three advantages: (i) form a chemical barrier between the FM and Si, (ii) circumvent the conductivity mismatch problem, and (iii) in addition act as a spin filter. The fabrication and characterization of ultra-thin crystalline MgO tunnel barriers on Si (100) was presented. Some of the important properties required for tunnel barriers on Si have been addressed. Ultra-thin stoichiometric MgO tunnel barriers with sharp interface with Si (100), very homogeneous, without pin-holes, and crystalline in structure could be fabricated by reactive molecular beam epitaxy. Co and Fe on an ultra thin MgO tunnel barrier were found to have island-like growth with a rough surface. Ultra-thin Co and Fe films are found to be thermally quite stable up to 450 °C. (3) Mn doped Si for spin injection: For spin injection purpose, instead of contacting the Si with a ferromagnetic metal, the contact could be made with another semiconductor, one with ferromagnetic properties. This solves the conductivity mismatch problem by ensuring that the resistivities of the materials on both side of the interface are comparable in magnitude. Si-based diluted magnetic semiconductor samples were prepared by doping Si with Mn by two different methods i) by Mn ion implantation and ii) by in-diffusion of Mn atoms (solid state growth). In the case of implanted samples, Mn atoms do not substitute Si sites. The implanted samples show room temperature ferromagnetism as measured by a SQUID magnetometer. The magnetic moment per Mn atom is found to decrease with increasing implantation dose. It has been observed that the implanted samples show carrier mediated ferromagnetism and, more importantly, mediated by both holes and electrons in contrast to statements in the literature. Solid state growth of Mn doped Si : For evaporation of Mn on Si (100), Mn atoms diffuse deep into the Si bulk already at room temperature, even for very low coverage (0.25 ML) with an oscillatory concentration depth profile as observed by HRBS with monolayer depth resolution. This results in natural MnxSi1-x/Si digital layers on the surface. Surprisingly, the samples prepared by this solid state diffusion process show room-temperature ferromagnetism having a magnetic moment of 1.8 µB per Mn atom, which is much higher than that of the ion-implanted samples. In contrast to ion-implanted samples the ferromagnetism in these samples does not show any carrier mediation.Item Open Access Referenzmodell zur Gestaltung der Serviceorganisation in Unternehmen der Raumfahrtbranche zum Betrieb bemannter Raumfahrtsysteme(2013) Forster, Christoph; Westkämper, Engelbert (Univ. Prof. em. Dr.-Ing. Prof. e. h. Dr.-Ing. E. h. Dr. h. c. mult.)Aufgrund der stark fortschreitenden industriellen und kommerziellen Nutzung des Weltraums, der Verlagerung von bemannten Raumfahrtaktivitäten auf Industrieunternehmen und aufgrund von Trends wie dem Weltraumtourismus gewinnt in Unternehmen der Raumfahrtbranche der Service für Betrieb und Nutzung bemannter Raumfahrtsysteme neben dem ursprünglichen Kerngeschäft der Entwicklung und Herstellung dieser Systeme zunehmend an Bedeutung. Zugleich aber stellt dies die Unternehmen vor große Herausforderungen. Bei der praktischen Umsetzung der Gestaltung einer serviceorientierten Prozessorganisation und der Serviceprozesse für den Betrieb von bemannten Raumfahrtsystemen sind erhebliche Probleme in den Raumfahrtunternehmen zu beobachten, da derzeit keine methodischen Hilfsmittel für die operative Gestaltung des Service zum Betrieb bemannter Raumfahrtsysteme existieren. Das in dieser Arbeit entwickelte und realisierte Referenzmodell schließt diese bestehende methodische Lücke und stellt die allgemeingültigen und unternehmensübergreifenden Serviceprozesse sowie die prozess- und kundenorientierte Serviceablauforganisation für den Betrieb bemannter Raumfahrtsysteme dar. Das Referenzmodell ist durch die End-to-End-Betrachtung der Serviceprozesse ein konsistentes Modell, das durch einen modularen hierarchischen Aufbau sowie eine Dekomposition in die Funktionssicht und die Prozesssicht auf der Fachebene gekennzeichnet ist. Entsprechend dem prozessfokussierten Anwendungszweck ist das Modell in 6 Prozesskategorien, 18 Prozessbausteine und 225 Basisfunktionen aufgegliedert und strukturiert. Das Referenzmodell ist dazu geeignet, Unternehmen der Raumfahrtbranche bei der Gestaltung und Verbesserung der Serviceprozesse sowie der Gestaltung einer serviceorientierten Prozessorganisation für den Betrieb bemannter Raumfahrtsysteme während der gesamten Nutzungsphase zu unterstützen. Dabei steht die Effektivitätsverbesserung der Serviceprozesse im Vordergrund. Für die Wiederverwendung des Referenzmodells wird eine Vorgehensweise zur Gestaltung unternehmensspezifischer Serviceprozessmodelle auf Basis des entwickelten Referenzmodells und der wiederverwendbaren Referenzmodellelemente (Prozesskategorien, Prozessbausteine, Basisfunktionen) entwickelt. Das Referenzmodell und die Methode zu seiner Wiederverwendung werden in zwei Anwendungsfällen zur Gestaltung spezifischer Serviceprozessmodelle in Unternehmen der Raumfahrtbranche für den Betrieb eines bemannten Raumfahrtsystems verifiziert. Dabei wird die die Eignung des Referenzmodells zur Gestaltung effektiver und effizienter Serviceprozesse für den Betrieb bemannter Raumfahrtsysteme nachgewiesen.Item Open Access Formation of lath martensite(2015) Löwy, Sarah; Mittemeijer, Eric Jan (Prof. Dr. Ir.)In this thesis the formation of different lath martensites was investigated upon cooling, particularly with regard to the mechanisms contributing to the transformation process. Upon very slow cooling of different Fe-Ni alloys and a maraging steel, all forming lath martensite, a discontinuous transformation behaviour was observed. This modulation of the transformation rate is ascribed to the interplay of chemical driving force, developing strain energy and its relaxation upon slow cooling. It is proposed that the modulation is caused by simultaneous formation of blocks in different martensite packages. Additionally, the influence of the Ni content on the transformation behaviour is presented as well as the influence of an externally applied force.Item Open Access Polymer electrolyte membrane degradation and mobility in fuel cells : a solid-state NMR investigation(2010) Ghassemzadeh Khoshkroodi, Lida; Müller, Klaus (Prof. Dr.)It is generally believed that fuel cells will play an important role in energy technology already in the near future. Operating polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) at temperatures higher than 100 °C and reduced humidity is anticipated to avoid most of the shortcomings associated with the low-temperature fuel cell operation, such as CO poisoning of the electrode catalysts, slow electrode kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction and expensive water/thermal management. To date, the operation temperature of PEMFCs is limited to about 90 °C, and this limit is given by the properties of the perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) ionomer, Nafion, which is commonly used as a separator material. Apart from the proton conductivity decay at higher temperature and lower humidification, it is also the limited stability of Nafion preventing it from long term operation. Despite the high stability of the PTFE backbone in Nafion, severe deterioration is observed during fuel cell operation. Formation of pinholes and cracks, thinning of the membranes and decrease of ion exchange capacity were reported. The fluorine release indicated that the bond cleavage process takes place under fuel cell operating conditions. Bond cleavage was initially believed to proceed from radical attacks to the carboxyl groups terminating the PTFE backbone of Nafion, and it was claimed to be controlled by the endcapping of the polymer backbone with a CF3 group. However, the release of fluoride was reported even after endcapping of the materials. The observations proved that bond cleavage limits the stability of PFSA membranes, but the elementary reactions and consequences on the membrane microstructure are not fully understood yet. In this work, it has been tried to get new insights into the problems of long term stability of polymer electrolytes for low temperature fuel cells. The aim was to identify the changes in the chemical structure of the membrane after operating in a fuel cell. This understanding is essential for extending the operation limit of PFSA-type membranes by either improving the membrane properties or adjusting the conditions within the running fuel cell. In the present work, therefore the changes taking place in PFSA membranes after applying in-situ and ex-situ aging protocols have been investigated. While the in-situ experiments provide a global picture, the analysis of membranes after ex-situ tests, with various conditions, allows the separation of different types of reactions. In previous studies the degradation changes were mainly monitored by analyzing the released water of the fuel cell or by using the liquid ionomers. In this work with the help of solid-state NMR spectroscopy, the direct study of the chemical structure and dynamics of the polymer membranes before and after the degradation tests became possible. The structural changes in different parts of the PFSA membranes were first inspected after an in-situ aging test. These examined membranes (Nafion and Hyflon Ion) differed by the length of the side chains. The comparison of the solid-state 13C and 19F NMR data of polymers before and after the in-situ degradation test showed that changes can take place not only in the main chain of the polymer, but also within the polymer side chains, as reflected by changes of NMR signals associated with CFSO3, CF3, OCF2 and CF groups. The degree of degradation is found to decrease with increasing membrane thickness while for a given thickness the short side chain polymer, Hyflon Ion, appears to degrade less than Nafion. In order to understand the reason for these observations, a new ex-situ method has been developed to mimic the degradation of polymer electrolyte membranes in PEM fuel cells (caused by the cross-leakage of H2 and O2). In this ex-situ setup, it was possible to expose membranes to flows of different gases with controlled temperature and humidity. H+-form Nafion films with and without electrode layer (Pt) have been treated in the presence of different gases in order to simulate the anode and cathode side of a PEMFC. The changes of the chemical structure occurring during the degradation tests were primarily examined by solid-state 19F NMR spectroscopy. For completion, liquid-state NMR studies and ion exchange capacity measurements were performed. It was found that degradation occurs only when both H2 and O2 are present (condition of gas cross-leakage), and when the membrane is coated with Pt catalyst. The chemical degradation rate is found to be highest for H2-rich mixtures of H2 and O2, which corresponds to the conditions at the anode under OCV. It is further shown that side chain disintegration is very important for chemical degradation, although backbone decomposition also might take place. The fact that in-situ degradation effects were reproduced by the present ex-situ experiments, suggest that membrane degradation in a running fuel cell is mainly the consequence of chemical aging. Detecting the degradation for the membranes coated with Pt in the presence of both gases, H2 and O2, points toward the importance of radicals in the degradation process, which in a running fuel cell (in-situ conditions) may only form in the presence of some gas cross-over, allowing H2 and O2 to react at the Pt catalyst of the anode or cathode structure. Since the gas cross-over increases for the thinner Nafion membrane, these results indirectly explain the higher degradation rate of thin Nafion in the in-situ degradation test. The chemical degradation and stability of PFSA membranes against radical attacks was also investigated in a Fenton ex-situ degradation test. Liquid and solid-state NMR as well as ATR-FTIR spectroscopy were applied to the samples before and after the Fenton reaction. A Comparison of the degradation rate of Nafion and Hyflon Ion in the ex-situ Fenton test again proved that the Hyflon Ion membrane is more stable than Nafion. Comparing the degradation rate of the side chain in these two polymers showed that the stability of Hyflon Ion is mainly due to the shortening of the side chain in this polymer. Hence, the absence of one ether group and the tertiary carbon reduces the degradation rate of the side chain and makes this polymer less sensitive to the radical attacks than Nafion. For the performance of a membrane not only the chemical structure but also the polymer dynamics is important. Therefore the molecular mobility of the ionomer was investigated by variable temperature 19F NMR lineshape, T1 and T1ρ relaxation experiments. The decrease of the temperature dependent linewidth was explained by the reduction of static disorder in the Nafion membrane. From the relaxation data there was evidence for structural annealing, which is independent of the chemical degradation. Chemical degradation is considered to reduce the chain flexibility (i.e. the motional amplitudes), which may be explained by chain cross-linking and condensation reaction for the side chains. To overcome the problem of Nafion's low conductivity at temperatures above 100 °C and low relative humidity, also composite membranes were introduced. These membranes consist of Nafion modified by inorganic oxide additives. It has been reported that under dry conditions, these membranes show enhanced water uptake and water diffusion when compared with filler-free Nafion. In order to understand the reason for the better performance of these polymers, the impact of the oxide particles on the polymer dynamics has been investigated. [Nafion/(SiO2)x] composite membranes in the dry and wet state with x ranging from 0 to 15 w/w% were investigated by variable temperature solid-state 19F NMR spectroscopy. 19F T1 and T1ρ relaxation times and NMR lineshapes were analyzed in order to get details about the polymer mobility. It is concluded that solid oxide SiO2 particles play an important role in stabilizing the chemical structure and morphology of the polymer especially in the dry state. The filler particles lead to higher mobility of polymer chains, if the filler content has an optimized value of about 9 w/w%. The results were further supported by comparing the sideband intensity as well as the linewidth in 19F NMR and recording the 19F{1H} CP/MAS NMR spectra. Furthermore, it has been shown that the structure of composite membranes is more stable after dehydration and possible condensation reactions are less likely in these membranes. The presence of filler particles decrease the chance for morphology changes and close packing of polymer chains in the dry state. Also the decrease of ionic exchange capacity after dehydration is less severe for the composite membrane as compared to filler-free Nafion. In conclusion, the present results provide a complete picture of solid membrane before and after degradation and of possible mechanisms for radical formation and radical attacks to the polymer. In addition, it is shown which changes can occur in the morphology of polymer chains in low humidification and high temperature. Some general suggestions for the better performance of polymer electrolyte membrane are therefore: For improving the performance of polymer electrode membrane, the sources for the radical formation in the fuel cell should be controlled. This can be possible to some extend by avoiding the use of iron end plates in the fuel cells. Also the chance for the gas crossover through the membrane should be decreased. Thicker membranes show less gas cross-over. By taking into account the higher resistivity of thicker membranes, an optimized membrane thickness should be selected. Hydrocarbon sulfonated polyetherketones possess narrower hydrophilic channels which significantly reduce electroosmotic drag, water permeation as well as gas cross-over. Also the short side chain perfluorinated polymer, Hyflon Ion, with lower electroosmotic drag of water should possess a reduced gas cross-over though the membrane. The more efficient way for decreasing degradation is to use membranes which are stable against radical attacks. At this point the perfluorinated polymers are still the best available membranes. Endcapping of the backbone in these polymers and decreasing the concentration of reactive end groups like COOH during the polymer manufacturing process can significantly decrease degradation. To minimize degradation of the side chains in perfluorinated polymers, short side chain polymers are suggested because of less reactive groups for the radical attacks and higher concentration of acidic groups. When higher operation temperatures are required, composite Nafion membranes might be used. The higher stability of these membranes makes them advantageous for operating at evaluated temperatures and low relative humidity. The novel results from the present work lead to a better understanding of membrane degradation, which still represents a serious problem for fuel cells under operation conditions, and provide important indications for future developments of membranes with improved performance for alternative energy conversion devices.