A fuel cell converts chemicals, hydrogen and oxygen into water, and in the process, it produces electricity.
 Photo courtesy Ballard Power Systems A fuel-cell stack that could power an automobile. See more fuel cell images. |
An example of a fuel cell which we are all familiar with is the battery. A battery has all of its chemicals stored inside, and it converts those chemicals into electricity.
With a fuel cell, chemicals constantly flow into the cell so it never goes dead — as long as there is a flow of chemicals into the cell, the electricity flows out of the cell. Most fuel cells in use today use hydrogen and oxygen as the chemicals.
A fuel cell works by catalysis, separating the electrons and protons, forcing the electrons to travel through a device which uses hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity. A single fuel cell consists of an electrolyte, sandwiched between a porous anode and a cathode.
