Fuel cells for electrochemical energy conversion

A fuel cell is essentially a compact electrochemical “factory” that takes fuel as input and produces electricity as output (see fig. 1). Like a factory, a fuel cell will continue to churn out product (electricity) as long as raw material (fuel) is supplied. This is the key difference between a fuel cell and a battery. While both rely on electrochemistry to work their magic, a fuel cell is not consumed when it produces electricity. It is really a factory, a shell, which transforms the chemical energy stored in a fuel into electrical energy. Viewed this way, combustion engines are also “chemical factories”. Combustion engines also take the chemical energy stored in a fuel and transform it into useful mechanical or electrical energy. So what is the difference between a combustion engine and a fuel cell? DOI: 10.1051/ , 00013 (2017) 71480 1 EPJ Web of Conferences epjconf/201 48