Vasquez L.O. (ed.) Fuel Cell Research Trends

New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2007. — 486 p. — ISBN: 978-1-60692-750-2.A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion device. It produces electricity from external supplies of fuel (on the anode side) and oxidant (on the cathode side). These react in the presence of an electrolyte. Generally, the reactants flow in and reaction products flow out while the electrolyte remains in the cell. Fuel cells can operate virtually continuously as long as the necessary flows are maintained. Fuel cells differ from batteries in that they consume reactants, which must be replenished, while batteries store electrical energy chemically in a closed system. Additionally, while the electrodes within a battery react and change as a battery is charged or discharged, a fuel cell's electrodes are catalytic and relatively stable. Fuel cells are very useful as power sources in remote locations, such as spacecraft, remote weather stations, large parks, rural locations, and in certain military applications. A fuel cell system running on hydrogen can be compact, lightweight and has no major moving parts. Because fuel cells have no moving parts, and do not involve combustion, in ideal conditions they can achieve up to 99.9999% reliability. This equates to less than one minute of down time in a six year period. This book presents new leading-edge research in the field.Expert Commentary
Qualification of Fuel Cell Membrane Electrode Assemblies
Zhigang Qi
Research and Review Studies
Power and Energy Efficiency Analysis of Direct Methanol
Fuel Cell (DMFC) from Single Cell, Fuel Cell Stack
to DMFC System
Rongzhong Jiang
Experimental Activity on a Large SOFC Generator
M. Santarelli, P. Leone, M. Calì and G. Orsello
Alternative Sulfonated Polymers to Nafion for PEM Fuel Cell
Angelo Basile and Adolfo Iulianelli
A Potential Alternative in the Electric Utility
Francisco Jurado
Microfabrication Techniques: Useful Tools for Miniaturizing Fuel Cells
Tristan Pichonat
Technical H2 Electrodes for Low Temperature Fuel Cells
Francisco Alcaide-Monterrubio, Pere L. Cabot and Enric Brillas
PEM Fuel Cell Modeling
Maher A.R. Sadiq Al-Baghdadi
Surface Functionalization of Carbon Catalyst-Support for PEM Fuel Cells: A Review
Zhigang Qi
A Study on the Role of Carbon Support Materials for Fuel-Cell Catalysts
Seok Kim and Soo-Jin Park
Developments of Alkaline Solid Polymer Electrolyte Membranes Based on Polyvinyl Alcohol and Their Applications in Electrochemical Cells
G.M. Wu, S.J. Lin and C.C. Yang