Chapter 9
Hydrogen Fuel Cells and Nanotechnology
9.1 Introduction
Fuel cells are regarded as the green power houses of the modern century. They are
thought as small sources with the ability to turn hydrogen energy or economy into
reality. The depletion of existing energy sources and increased pollution caused by
their production and use are the major reasons behind the immense research in the area
of hydrogen fuel cells [1, 2]. Fuel cells when run on pure hydrogen do not generate
pollution and only produce clean heat and pure water as by-products. However,
when mixture of hydrogen-rich reformate gas is used, harmful emissions (though
less severe than fossil fuels) can be expected. The internal combustion engines,
which utilized hydrogen as fuel, work as a mixture with air leading to extremely
small pollution levels [3].
In simple terms, fuel cells are energy conversion tools. They are capable of
converting chemical energy directly into electricity. The conversion of the energy
does not involve any intermediate thermal or mechanical steps. Energy can be
obtained whenever, and the fuel present in the cell is allowed to have the chemical reaction with the oxygen in air. In internal combustion engine, the combustion
reaction takes place resulting in the formation of heat, a part of which is utilized in
doing work, such as moving of the piston. In contrast to this, the fuel cells involve
electrochemical reaction for the generation of energy. The energy is evolved as the
mixture of heat and low-voltage direct current electrical energy. The electrical energy
is involved in work, whereas the heat is wasted or can be employed for other purposes.
In voltaic cells or galvanic cells, the chemical energy is converted into the electrical
energy via electrochemical reactions. Any type of fuel cell is essentially a galvanic
cell, and also it can be regarded as a battery. However, they are different from electroplater or electrolyzer which involves the consumption of electrical energy for driving
a chemical reaction. A fundamental characteristic of fuel cells is that the usage of
hydrogen and oxygen is determined by the electric current load [4].
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license
to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. Farrukh et al., Nanotechnology and the Generation of Sustainable Hydrogen,
Green Energy and Technology, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60402-8_9
95
Hydrogen Fuel Cells and Nanotechnology
9.1 Introduction
Fuel cells are regarded as the green power houses of the modern century. They are
thought as small sources with the ability to turn hydrogen energy or economy into
reality. The depletion of existing energy sources and increased pollution caused by
their production and use are the major reasons behind the immense research in the area
of hydrogen fuel cells [1, 2]. Fuel cells when run on pure hydrogen do not generate
pollution and only produce clean heat and pure water as by-products. However,
when mixture of hydrogen-rich reformate gas is used, harmful emissions (though
less severe than fossil fuels) can be expected. The internal combustion engines,
which utilized hydrogen as fuel, work as a mixture with air leading to extremely
small pollution levels [3].
In simple terms, fuel cells are energy conversion tools. They are capable of
converting chemical energy directly into electricity. The conversion of the energy
does not involve any intermediate thermal or mechanical steps. Energy can be
obtained whenever, and the fuel present in the cell is allowed to have the chemical reaction with the oxygen in air. In internal combustion engine, the combustion
reaction takes place resulting in the formation of heat, a part of which is utilized in
doing work, such as moving of the piston. In contrast to this, the fuel cells involve
electrochemical reaction for the generation of energy. The energy is evolved as the
mixture of heat and low-voltage direct current electrical energy. The electrical energy
is involved in work, whereas the heat is wasted or can be employed for other purposes.
In voltaic cells or galvanic cells, the chemical energy is converted into the electrical
energy via electrochemical reactions. Any type of fuel cell is essentially a galvanic
cell, and also it can be regarded as a battery. However, they are different from electroplater or electrolyzer which involves the consumption of electrical energy for driving
a chemical reaction. A fundamental characteristic of fuel cells is that the usage of
hydrogen and oxygen is determined by the electric current load [4].
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license
to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. Farrukh et al., Nanotechnology and the Generation of Sustainable Hydrogen,
Green Energy and Technology, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60402-8_9
95