FC-BENTEN: Synchrotron X-Ray Experimental Database for Polymer-Electrolyte Fuel-Cell Material Analysis

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This manuscript presents FC-BENTEN, a highly valuable and well-organized synchrotron X-ray experimental database designed to advance polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) research. The platform, developed at SPring-8, provides a systematic and reliable data framework that follows FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles and significantly enhances data standardization, accessibility, and reproducibility in materials research.

The work is of great importance to the entire PEFC community, offering trustworthy, high-quality experimental data that can serve as a foundation for materials informatics (MI) and AI-driven analysis. The level of detail in experimental protocols, metadata management, and data security is commendable, ensuring the long-term usability and interoperability of the dataset.

Given its significant contribution to the field, I strongly recommend publication with minor revisions to further improve clarity and usability.

Minor Revisions & Suggestions for Improvement

1. Provide the URL for the FC-BENTEN Platform: As an English user, I attempted to search for FC-BENTEN via Google but could not find an official platform link. The manuscript should explicitly provide the URL to ensure easier access for researchers.

2. Consider Expanding Data Access Beyond SPring-8: Currently, FC-BENTEN operates as an internal data platform based on standardized experimental procedures at SPring-8. In the future, the authors could explore international and multi-institutional collaborations, similar to LBNL’s Materials Project, allowing cross-national data sharing and broadening the platform’s impact. Are there plans for integrating with global MI platforms such as NOMAD, Materials Project, or OCP data? If so, briefly mentioning this would strengthen the long-term vision of the project.

3. Improve UI/UX for Better Accessibility: The user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) of the platform could be modernized to enhance ease of navigation and data visualization.

Author Response

Comment 1: Provide the URL for the FC-BENTEN Platform

As an English user, I attempted to search for FC-BENTEN via Google but could not find an official platform link. The manuscript should explicitly provide the URL to ensure easier access for researchers.

Response 1:
Thank you for your suggestion. We fully agree with this comment and have updated the manuscript to explicitly provide the URL of the FC-BENTEN platform. To address this, we have added the URL (https://fcbenten.spring8.or.jp/) in the caption of Figure 19 on page 31 to ensure easier access for researchers. The revised caption reads:

"Figure 19. FC-BENTEN web interface for data access (https://fcbenten.spring8.or.jp/). The directory structure on the left panel and full-text search functionalities streamline dataset navigation. The upper-right pane lists files, while the lower-right pane displays thumbnails or spectra previews, facilitating rapid and informed dataset selection."

This modification ensures that the official platform link is clearly visible and easily accessible to readers. We appreciate your valuable suggestion.

Comment 2: Consider Expanding Data Access Beyond SPring-8

Currently, FC-BENTEN operates as an internal data platform based on standardized experimental procedures at SPring-8. In the future, the authors could explore international and multi-institutional collaborations, similar to LBNL’s Materials Project, allowing cross-national data sharing and broadening the platform’s impact. Are there plans for integrating with global MI platforms such as NOMAD, Materials Project, or OCP data?  If so, briefly mentioning this would strengthen the long-term vision of the project.

Response 2:
Thank you for this insightful suggestion. Currently, FC-BENTEN operates as an internal platform based on standardized experimental procedures at SPring-8. We recognize that expanding data access and integrating with global materials informatics (MI) platforms is a significant long-term consideration.

At present, data sharing is restricted due to constraints related to data ownership and confidentiality agreements with sample providers and stakeholders such as NEDO. However, if future agreements permit, we will actively explore the possibility of broader data accessibility.

To address this point, we have included a brief statement in the manuscript at [Page 36, end of Section 6.4: Data Sharing for PEFC Synchrotron X-ray Experiments], as follows:

"While FC-BENTEN is currently a closed platform due to data ownership constraints, future expansions may involve data sharing upon obtaining necessary approvals. This could open opportunities for integration with global MI platforms, further enhancing accessibility and collaboration."

Comment 3: Improve UI/UX for Better Accessibility

The user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) of the platform could be modernized to enhance ease of navigation and data visualization.

Response 3:
Thank you for your valuable suggestion. The FC-BENTEN interface has been developed based on user needs, enabling efficient data registration, browsing, searching, and downloading. These functionalities have been designed based on practical requirements identified by researchers utilizing the database.

Currently, we have not received specific user requests for UI/UX improvements. However, we acknowledge the importance of user experience in enhancing accessibility and usability. We remain receptive to future enhancements and will actively consider UI/UX improvements should concrete user feedback and requirements arise.

To address this point, we have added the following statement in [Page 30, end of Section 4.3: System Design, Data Access Workflow, and Security Features]:

"The FC-BENTEN platform has been developed based on user needs to facilitate efficient data registration, browsing, searching, and downloading. While no specific UI/UX improvement requests have been received, we remain open to future enhancements and will consider improvements based on user feedback to further enhance accessibility and usability."

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript presents the FC-Bentan database for characterization results of materials, possibly fuel cell materials, using different Chromotron X-ray techniques. These techniques are presented correctly, and some results of typical materials are based on PT, Pt-CO, and CEO2.

It is suggested to include for all techniques presented in the manuscript, results of the Pt/C, which is a reference material, a base material, for the performance studies of fuel cell electrodes.

How will the information in the database be increasing, only from experiments of the group of manuscript participants, or can it incorporate results from other publications?

 

Author Response

Comment 1: Include Pt/C Results for All Techniques

It is suggested to include results of the Pt/C, which is a reference material, for all techniques presented in the manuscript.

Response 1:
Thank you for your valuable comment. We clarify that the samples used for the synchrotron radiation measurement techniques in this study are all TEC-series Pt/C materials supplied by TANAKA Precious Metals. Specifically:

• XAFS measurements: TEC10E50E (Figure 4, Figure 5)
• HAXPES measurements: TEC10F50E, TEC10F50E-HT, TEC10E50E, TEC10EA50E (Figure 8)
• XRD measurements: TEC10V50E (Figure 9, Figure 10)
• PDF measurements: TEC10V30E (Figure 11, Figure 12)
• SAXS measurements: TEC10V30E (Figure 14, Figure 15)

Additionally, we have updated the CV measurement data for consistency with the rest of the manuscript, replacing it with results from TEC10V30E (Figure 3, page 6). The updated caption reads:

"Figure 3. Representative CV results for TEC10V30E (supplied by TANAKA Precious Metals[TANAKA PRECIOUS METAL TECHNOLOGIES Co., Ltd.]]) under an operational potential range of 0.05–1.2 V vs. the RHE at a scan rate of 50 mV/s. The plot shows the relationship between the working electrode potential (Ewe) relative to RHE and the resulting current (I), highlighting key electrochemical responses within the operational range."

Comment 2: Database Expansion Scope

How will the information in the database be increased? Will it include only experiments conducted by the manuscript authors, or can it incorporate results from other publications?

Response 2:
Currently, FC-BENTEN consists solely of data obtained from experiments conducted by our group at the SPring-8 facility. However, future integration with the NIMS MIX Platform may allow for the incorporation of additional datasets from other research publications. This will enhance data comprehensiveness and interoperability.

To clarify this, we have added the following statement in [Page 29, Section 4.2: Data Management in the PEFC Project]:

"Currently, FC-BENTEN includes only experimental results obtained at SPring-8 by the authors' group. However, future integration with the NIMS MIX Platform may allow for the incorporation of additional datasets, including those from other research publications, to further enhance data comprehensiveness."