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.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with fuel cell
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 ...
New Sulfur- and Coking-Tolerant Material Could Expand Applications for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
Oct 01, 2009 |
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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 ...
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 ...
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.
Nanotubes take flight: Scientists use nanomaterials to grow flying carpets, 'odako' kites
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Jul 29, 2009 |
5 / 5 (12) |
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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 ...
Going platinum: New catalyst could boost cleaner fuel use
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
May 14, 2009 |
4.1 / 5 (23) |
5
(PhysOrg.com) -- Material scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a technique for a bimetallic fuel cell catalyst that is efficient, robust and two to five times more effective than ...
Pinpointing catalytic reactions on carbon nanotubes
Apr 17, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Among their many other interesting properties, carbon nanotubes have been found to act as catalysts for some important chemical reactions, including some that could be used to make cleaner ...
Hydrogen cars closer to reality with new storage system design
Apr 02, 2009 |
3.9 / 5 (16) |
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Researchers have developed a critical part of a hydrogen storage system for cars that makes it possible to fill up a vehicle's fuel tank within five minutes with enough hydrogen to drive 300 miles.
Surveillance vehicles take flight using alternative energy
Mar 30, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (7) |
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Nearly undetectable from the ground, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are widely used by the military to scan terrain for possible threats and intelligence. Now, fuel cell powered UAVs are taking flight as ...
Stainless Steel Catalyst Lowers Cost of Microbial Fuel Cells
Feb 23, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Tiny bacteria munching on and metabolizing biodegradable materials can produce electrons that could be harnessed by microbial fuel cells for energy. By taking advantage of the catalytic reactions ...
New hydrogen production method could reduce need for fossil fuels
Jan 06, 2009 |
3 / 5 (22) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have created an entirely natural and renewable method for producing hydrogen to generate electricity which could drastically reduce the dependency on fossil fuels in the future.
Progress Toward a Biological Fuel Cell?
Dec 30, 2008 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Biological fuel cells use enzymes or whole microorganisms as biocatalysts for the direct conversion of chemical energy to electrical energy. One type of microbial fuel cell uses anodes (positive electrodes) ...
Panasonic develops direct methanol fuel cell system with high power output and durability
21 hours ago |
4.5 / 5 (13) |
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Panasonic Corporation announced it has developed a direct methanol fuel cell system which can produce an average power output of 20 W by increasing the output per cubic centimeter twice that of its previous prototype. Using ...
Panasonic plans home-use storage cell
Dec 23, 2009 |
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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.
