Topic > The functions and materials of a fuel cell - 1108

Introduction: A fuel cell can be described as "a plant" because it uses fuel as input and produces electricity as output. The difference between a fuel cell and a battery is that fuel cells continue to produce electricity as long as fuel is supplied. Both are highly dependent on electrochemistry in their function. Engines convert the energy of a combustion reaction into mechanical energy while fuel cells transfer the energy of a chemical reaction into electrical energy. Fuel cells use the movement of electrons in the chemical reaction to create a flow of current. The movement of electrons is caused by the oxidation and reduction reaction: H2(g)→ 2H+(aq) + 2e- (Oxidation) 2H+(aq) + 2e - + 1/2O2(g)→H2O (l) (Reduction) A fuel cell is a device that uses hydrogen as a reactant and produces electrons and water. Fuel cell technology is mainly based on the following chemical reaction:2H2(g) + O2(g)↔ H2O(l) (Net reaction)The fuel cell produces electricity with high efficiency as it converts the energy resulting from the chemical reaction into electricity directly. Other devices transfer chemical energy into another form of energy such as mechanical energy, then convert the mechanical energy into electricity. In each step (energy conversion) there is an energy loss (friction or heat, for example), so a fuel cell performs the desired conversion in one step and this leads to less energy loss. The fuel cell consists of the electrolyte that prevents the reactants from mixing together (a membrane), two electrodes (cathode and anode) which are usually catalysts. Some cells also have more polar plates. They collect the current and the center of the paper......chromite due to its high compatibility with thermal expansion. Furthermore, for operating temperatures below 700 oC, stainless steels could be used as a construction material for interconnections, which is economical and easily available. Cathode: Nowadays, the most commonly used cathode material is lanthanum manganite (LaMnO3) together with base elements, which is an electronic conducting material. For example, most cathode electrodes are made of: strontium-doped lanthanum manganite, lanthanum strontium ferrite, lanthanum strontium cobaltite, or lanthanum strontium cobaltite ferrite. Furthermore, the choice of cathode material is highly dependent on the electrolyte material. For example, for zirconium electrolyte, strontium lanthanum manganite (LSM) is the best choice based on yttria-stabilized zirconium electrolyte due to its high electrical conductivity.