WHAT…..

….Are Fuel Cells?

Unlike internal combustion engines, which are essentially a series of controlled explosionsof gasoline and oxygen, fuel cells use electrochemical reactions to directly create electricity.

Inside a fuel cell, the fuel is separated from oxygen by a thin membrane called an electrolyte. The electrolyte membrane only allows protons, or charged hydrogen atoms, to pass through it. In order for the fuel (i.e. hydrogen), to get the oxygen, it has to drop off its electrons at the anode and become converted to protons. The protons travel through the membrane and react with oxygen and electrons at the cathode.  To get to the cathode, the electrons have to travel through an exterior circuit, producing an electrical current. (more…)