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New & Environmental Technology
Fuel Cells
Chemistry
General explanation of how fuel cells work
Hydrogen fuel is fed into the "anode" of the fuel cell. Oxygen (or air) enters the fuel cell through the cathode. Encouraged by a catalyst, the hydrogen atom splits into a proton and an electron, which take different paths to the cathode. The proton passes through the electrolyte. The electrons create a separate current that can be utilized before they return to the cathode, to be reunited with the hydrogen and oxygen in a molecule of water.
Primer on Fuel Cells - The website listed below have explanations of how a fuel cell works
www.fuelcells.org/basics/how.html
A note about hydrogen fuel cells. The hydrogen needs to be produced prior to use in these fuel cells. This can be done two ways. One, a change in infrastructure so that hydrogen is available easily. Two, the addition of reformers to the fuel cells. Reformers can be used with gasoline, natural gas or any other fossil fuel.