FUEL CELLS

Explanation

A fule cell si like a battery. It has two electrodes where the reactions take place and an electrolyte which carries the charged particles from one electrode to the other . These cells convert chemical energy inyo electrical energy. Fuel cells have to be supplied by an external source of fuel (e.g., hydrogen) and an oxidant such as oxygen or air. The fuels used are pollution free and have high efficiency. One of the example of hydrogen - oxygen fuel cell. The electrolyte plays an essential role as well. It only allows the appropriate ions were allowed to flow between the anode and cathode, the chemical reactions within the cell would be disrupted.
The net reaction taking place in fuel cell is :
`{:("Anode",[H_(2)(g)+2OH^(-)(aq)to 2H_(2)O(l)+2e^(-)]xx2),("Cathode",O_(2)(g)+2H_(2)O(l)+4e^(-)to4OH^(-)(aq)):}/("Overall reaction"" "2H_(2)(g)+O_(2)(g)to2H_(2)O(l))`