Simple Cells and Hydrogen Fuel Cells

• Simple Cells


  • A simple cell is a device that converts chemical energy to electrical energy through chemical reactions
  • consists of two electrodes connected to a circuit and placed in an electrolyte
  • the more reactive metal is the anode while the less reactive metal is the cathode. Electrons flow from the anode to the cathode
  • the larger the difference in reactivity between metals, the larger the voltage produced
  • anode negative, cathode positive
• Hydrogen Fuel Cells


  • convert chemical energy to electrical energy
  • requires constant supply of suitable hydrogen at anode and oxygen at cathode
  • hydrogen is obtained from water by electrolysis or cracking of hydrocarbons
  • releases more energy than commonly used fuels and does not produce air pollutants since water is the only product
  • difficult to store and transport hydrogen safely because of very high boiling point and low density, high pressure cylinders are required to store and transport hydrogen, causing it to be expensive. hydrogen is also flammable