Fuel Cells - An Overview
Fuel cells as the name suggest are devices which produce electricity. They are similar to battery in the way that the chemical composition in a battery is carried by a fuel cell too. The difference lies in the restructured pattern of a fuel cell and subsequently a modified chemical reaction, quite different from a conventional battery. The electrodes of a fuel cell are more stable as they are catalytic and do not themselves participate in the chemical reactions which eventually produce a current.
Various types of fuel cells are present. They differ due to use of different oxidant and fuel. For example there are cells which have hydrogen as the fuel and oxygen as the oxidant. Similarly, there are fuel cells which use chlorine, hydrocarbons and alcohol as fuel and oxidants.
The use of fuel cell has been enhanced in the present days owing to technical advancements and the quest for more compact and less cumbersome source of electricity. Also since a fuel cell is very reliable, its use is now targeted at places which are less frequented by technicians, like spacecraft, for military application and for underground operations. One more added advantage of using a fuel cell over any other traditional or conventional source of electricity is that it does not use parts that move and thus no by product of combustion is released. Ongoing research is trying to make cars, laptops and other home appliances fuel cell friendly.
In the days where the world is all charged up with issues of zero emission and the compliance thereof, fuel cells can provide a very easy and efficient solution. For example fuel cells which use unadulterated hydrogen as fuel do not emit any waste.
