What's Fuel Cell?
A fuel cell produces electricity by combinining hydrogen and oxygen to produce water .
Like a battery, a fuel cell has an anode and a cathode . Hydrogen from the fuel tank is pumped to the anode, and oxygen purified from the air is channeled to the cathode.
The anode is made of a catalyst (usually platinum), and splits hydrogen gas (H2 ) into two hydrogen atoms (or protons) plus two electrons.
The protons then move across to the cathode, where they can combine with oxygen molecules. On the way, they pass through a special plastic membrane that lets the protons through, but blocks the electrons. Instead, the electrons must travel from the anode through the car's circuitry to the cathode, where they are reunited with the protons and oxygen molecules. This produces water, which is our car's only by-product.
On their way from anode to cathode, energy can be taken from the electrons.