Related topics: energy , carbon nanotube , hydrogen , catalyst , platinum
Fuel cell
hideA fuel cell is an electrochemical conversion device. It produces electricity from fuel (on the anode side) and an oxidant (on the cathode side), which react in the presence of an electrolyte. The reactants flow into the cell, and the reaction products flow out of it, while the electrolyte remains within it. Fuel cells can operate virtually continuously as long as the necessary flows are maintained.
Fuel cells are different from electrochemical cell batteries in that they consume reactant from an external source, which must be replenished – a thermodynamically open system. By contrast, batteries store electrical energy chemically and hence represent a thermodynamically closed system.
Many combinations of fuels and oxidants are possible. A hydrogen fuel cell uses hydrogen as its fuel and oxygen (usually from air) as its oxidant. Other fuels include hydrocarbons and alcohols. Other oxidants include chlorine and chlorine dioxide.
The principle of the fuel cell had been demonstrated by Sir William Grove in 1839, and other investigators had experimented with various forms of fuel cell. The first practical fuel cell was developed by Francis Thomas Bacon in 1959.
For more information about Fuel cell, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with fuel cell
Panasonic plans home-use storage cell
15 hours ago |
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Panasonic Corp., which recently made a successful takeover bid for Sanyo Electric Co., plans to market a lithium-ion storage cell for home use around fiscal 2011.
Nanoparticles go platinum: NCEM instruments provide key images
Dec 21, 2009 |
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At Berkeley Lab's National Center for Electron Microscopy it was revealed that single-stranded DNA can disperse bundles of single-walled carbon nanotubes into individual tubes and serve as guideposts for synthesizing ...
A Search for Stability for Platinum Catalysts
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Dec 17, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new carbon support that greatly increases the durability of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells has been developed by scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Princeton University. ...
New Bacterial Behavior Discovered
Dec 15, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Bacteria dance the electric slide, officially named electrokinesis by the USC geobiologists who discovered the phenomenon.
'Rock-breathing' bacteria could generate electricity and clean up oil spills
Dec 14, 2009 |
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A discovery by scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) could contribute to the development of systems that use domestic or agricultural waste to generate clean electricity.
Toward home-brewed electricity with 'personalized solar energy'
Dec 16, 2009 |
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New scientific discoveries are moving society toward the era of "personalized solar energy," in which the focus of electricity production shifts from huge central generating stations to individuals in their ...
Hydrogen-Powered Ion Tiger Sets 26-hour Flight Endurance Record
Nov 30, 2009 |
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The Naval Research Laboratory's Ion Tiger, a hydrogen-powered fuel cell unmanned air vehicle (UAV), has flown 26 hours and 1 minute carrying a 5-pound payload, setting another unofficial flight endurance record ...
Chemists discover recipe to design a better type of fuel cell
Oct 18, 2009 |
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Fuel cells are often touted as one method to help decrease society's addiction to fossil fuels. But there is still a lot of work to be done before fuel cells will be ready for mass market to be used in transportation, home ...
Renewable hydrogen production becomes reality at winery
Sep 29, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The first demonstration of a renewable method for hydrogen production from wastewater using a microbial electrolysis system is underway at the Napa Wine Company in Oakville. The refrigerator-sized hydrogen ...
A recipe for controlling carbon nanotubes
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Sep 20, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (7) |
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Nanoscopic tubes made of a lattice of carbon just a single atom deep hold promise for delivering medicines directly to a tumor, sensors so keen they detect the arrival or departure of a single electron, a replacement for ...
New Sulfur- and Coking-Tolerant Material Could Expand Applications for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
Oct 01, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (11) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new ceramic material described in this week's issue of the journal Science could help expand the applications for solid oxide fuel cells - devices that generate electricity directly from a ...
Wastewater produces electricity and desalinates water
Aug 06, 2009 |
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A process that cleans wastewater and generates electricity can also remove 90 percent of salt from brackish water or seawater, according to an international team of researchers from China and the U.S.
Green cars to get Copenhagen boost
Dec 03, 2009 |
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American drivers fond of their gas guzzlers will have to quickly learn to love greener cars, which are expected to get a big boost from upcoming international climate talks in Copenhagen.
Nanotubes take flight: Scientists use nanomaterials to grow flying carpets, 'odako' kites
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Jul 29, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- With products that range from carpets to kites, you’d think Rice University chemist Bob Hauge was running a department store. What he's really running is a revolution in the world of carbon ...
Glimpsing a greener future: Computer model foresees effects of alternative transportation fuels
Nov 16, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- It's the year 2060, and 75 percent of drivers in the Greater Los Angeles area have hydrogen fuel cell vehicles that emit only water vapor.
