Fuel Cell Technology:
Every single fuel cell has two electrodes, a positive one and a negative one – an anode and cathode basically. The reactions that take place between the two electrodes are the ones who produce electricity in the end. Hydrogen is the fuel used, but for the reactions to occur, the cells will also need oxygen. You might remember that Lilliputian battery is based on this technology, as well.
One very interesting and positive aspect of fuel cells is that they manage to produce electricity without polluting the environment, and that’s because hydrogen and oxygen – needed in the reaction, combine to produce a neutral byproduct, which is water. The actual purpose of a fuel cell is to produce electrical current that can be used outside the cell. Think of powering motors or luminous light bulbs in the city.
No Harm Done to Nature.
Because of the way electricity works, this current will find its way back to the fuel cell, thus completing an electrical circuit. Hydrogen atoms will enter a fuel cell at the anode, where a chemical reaction takes place, so the atoms are freed from their electrons. The hydrogen atoms will be “ionized” and will start carrying electrical charges. The negative electrons move on to provide the current through wires.
Fuel cells are mostly classified by their electrolyte type, which is at the heart of the fuel cell process.
At the moment, fuel cells are very expensive to produce and cost about 4500 dollars per kilowatt as opposed to 800 to 1000 dollars per kilowatt for a diesel engine. Some problems with hydrogen being used as fuel emerged as well, because as you well might know, Hydrogen is one of the most volatile substances that can be found on planet Earth, thus making it very difficult to store.
Hydrogen used in the fuel cells has to be in a very pure state, otherwise it will end up damaging the catalyst. Hydrogen is not easily extracted and must come from natural sources like water or natural gas, thus adding more costs to the process. The catalyst material itself is very expensive since it is made from one of the most expensive, materials on Earth – platinum. So we could end up facing a platinum drainage if we would rely solely on it for energy creation.
To make a point, fuel cells seem to have a good shot into being incorporated somewhere in smaller technology at the moment, so the ideas above seem to be very valid and useful, but there’s certainly going to be awhile until we see them implemented into something major like powering up a household or a truck.
Certainly, fuel cell technology will find its way into the smart home of the future. Before we’ll become fully wireless, I hope to see devices with fuel cell technology appearing more and more on the market. Smartphones like Samsung Galaxy S3 don’t impress me anymore, to be honest, because they show a gradual evolution, from handset to handset. My smartphone, tablet, laptop needs a much, much bigger and safer battery life. Give me that and take my money.
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