An electrochemical device that converts the chemical energy of a fuel directly into electricity, with no combustion and no moving parts: at one electrode the fuel gives up electrons, which flow through an external circuit as current, while at the other they rejoin protons and oxygen to make water and heat. Running on hydrogen a fuel cell emits only water, and efficiencies can exceed 60 percent, well above what heat engines of similar scale achieve.
Facts
Technology TypeElectrochemical conversion 1 Invented Year Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Uses Source
Sources
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.