Science of Fuel Cells

A fuel cell is an energy conversion device that combines a fuel and air to directly produce electrical power. Fuel cells offer the promise of high efficiency and low emissions when compared to conventional technologies. If pure hydrogen is used as a fuel, the only products of this process are heat, electricity, and water.

The main difference between fuel cells and conventional technologies is related to the number of steps required to convert the chemical energy of a fuel into useful electrical power.

Unlike a battery, a fuel cell does not store energy. Instead, it converts energy from one form to another (much like an engine) and will continue to operate as long as fuel is fed to it. However, unlike internal combustion generators, fuel cells convert chemical energy directly into electricity without an intermediate conversion into mechanical power.

Fuel cells can provide clean energy for people. The benefits of using fuel cells include:

clean, safe, quiet performance
high energy efficiency
low emissions
ease in operating

We leverage high-level expertise in polymer chemistry, materials engineering, catalysis, and conductive coatings to ensure you get the required performance.

Fuel Cell Types
There are five types of fuel cells and they are defined by the type of electrolyte used in the fuel cell. These include:

proton exchange membrane (PEM)
alkaline
phosphoric acid
molten carbonate
solid oxide

PEM Fuel Cells
Recently, PEM fuel cells have become more cost-effective for many applications. There are three main types:

hydrogen (pure)
reformed hydrogen
direct methanol (DMFC)

The differences in PEM fuel cells stem from how the hydrogen needed for the reaction is obtained.

The hydrogen used in reformed hydrogen systems is obtained from methanol or a hydrocarbon such as methane or propane. The reason it is called reformed hydrogen is that the methanol or hydrocarbon is processed in a device known as a reformer to produce the hydrogen just upstream of the fuel cell.

In a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) system, methanol is converted directly to hydrogen without the use of a reformer.