What is a fuel cell

A fuel cell is a device that performs a combustion reaction electrochemically. Combustion is the chemical process of burning a fuel (hydrogen, methanol, methane, glucose, gasoline) in oxygen to make water and (in the case of a carbon-containing fuel) carbon dioxide. In an ordinary combustion reaction, as in a flame or an internal combustion engine, essentially all of the energy released in the reaction is converted to heat. In a fuel cell, the reaction is done electrochemically, meaning that in the anode compartment the fuel is oxidized, and in the cathode compartment, oxygen from the air is reduced to water. The two compartments are connected by an electrolyte that allows hydrogen ions (protons) to move from the anode to the cathode.

The advantage of performing a combustion reaction electrochemically is that a fraction of the energy of the reaction (30-80%, depending on the fuel and the type of fuel cell) is converted directly to electricity, with the balance released as heat. Because electrical energy can be used directly – for example, in a laptop computer – or can be very efficiently converted to other forms of energy – for example, to mechanical energy to power a car – the fuel cell is an efficient energy conversion device. The very high energy density of liquid fuels (methanol, gasoline) and the high energy density of compressed hydrogen make fuel cells an attractive energy source for portable and remote power, transportation, uninterrupted power supplies (UPS), micro power (laptop computers and portable electronics), and other applications.

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