HW #12: The Physics and Chemistry of Fuel Cells

"Yes, we can."
-  President-Elect Barack Obama
 

50 points total - 30 for your post, 20 for your replies/questions.

A. Research: One of the best examples of technology that epitomizes our science course, and its selected underlying theme of studying global warming, is that of the hydrogen fuel cell. Combining concepts in physics (thermodynamics, energy, electricity) and chemistry (compounds, reactions, catalysts), the fuel cell holds incredible promise in part because it produces electrical power quietly, emitting only heat and water as its byproducts. Take a close look at what fuel cells are, and how they work, using the textbook as well as some of the following resources:

US Department of Energy (2008, Aug. 8)  Fuel Cells. Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies Program.  Accessed 11/3/08 from http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/fuelcells/fc_types.html

National Museum of American History (2008) Fuel Cells. Smithsonian Institution.  Accessed 11/3/08 from http://americanhistory.si.edu/fuelcells/basics.htm

Fuel cell. (2008, November 4). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 06:02, November 5, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fuel_cell&oldid=249744312

Short Videos:

United Technologies Corp.(2008)  Fuel Cells. Accessed 11/3/08 from http://www.utcpower.com/fs/com/Videos/UTCPower.wmv

Falconnn0 (2008, Jun 13) Proton-Exchange Membrane. YouTube.Accessed 11/3/08 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-Q1UZJz2iQ&feature=related
 

Here is a list of questions you should be able to answer, from your research (adapted from Howard Linberger of Durham Academy).  Please DO NOT post your answers to these questions - send them instead to me in a message within Blackboard, or by email.  I'll pull out some of the best responses in a summary post.  But please DO include a properly formatted bibliography, even if it includes the resources that I've featured above.

B.  Identify, Analyze, and Share:  Find another website not listed above that discusses both the positive and negative aspects of fuel cells.  Comment upon its effectiveness.  Please DO NOT use a site that has alreayd been cited and discussed by someone else in our class - you must find unique sites here.

C. One of the issues that has prevented certain types of fuel cells from taking off even more quickly has been the cost, and difficulty in manufacturing, of the catalyst.   Take a look at the following short articles:

Welter, K. (2008. Mar. 19) 'Designer' catalyst fights fuel cell poisoning. Chemistry World. Royal Society of Chemistry.  Accessed 11/3/08 from http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2008/March/19030801.asp

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (2007, Oct. 4) New Class Of Catalyst For Fuel Cells Beats Pure Platinum By A Mile. Science Daily.  Accessed 11/3/08 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071023164031.htm

After reading these articles, and from your research in part A above, please post at least one question you still have about how fuel cells work.  In a short essay, please share your thoughts about whether we should invest even more money and time into fuel cells.  (You might want to look at the articles below for additional input on this question.)

Additional Resources:

• G. Crabtree, M. Dresselhaus, M. Buchanan (2004, Dec.) The Hydrogen economy. Physics Today vol. No. 12 December (2004) p39. Accessed 11/4/08 from http://scitation.aip.org/journals/doc/PHTOAD-ft/vol_57/iss_12/39_1.shtml
   
• Shinnar, R.(2004) 'The Mirage of the H₂ Economy', Clean Techn. Environ. Policy, 6, (2004) pp223-226. Accessed 11/4/08 from http://physics.ius.edu/~kyle/P310/articles/Mirage.pdf