Fuel cell

A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction of positively charged hydrogen ions with oxygen or another oxidizing agent. Fuel cells are different from batteries in that they require a continuous source of fuel and oxygen or air to sustain the chemical reaction, whereas in a battery the chemicals present in the battery react with each other to generate an electromotive force (emf). Fuel cells can produce electricity continuously for as long as these inputs are supplied.

The first fuel cells were invented in 1838. The first commercial use of fuel cells came more than a century later in NASA space programs to generate power for satellites and space capsules. Since then, fuel cells have been used in many other applications. Fuel cells are used for primary and backup power for commercial, industrial and residential buildings and in remote or inaccessible areas. They are also used to power fuel cell vehicles, including forklifts, automobiles, buses, boats, motorcycles and submarines.

Fuel Cells (journal)

Fuel Cells—From Fundamentals to Systems is a bimonthly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering fundamental and applied research on fuel cell technology. Disciplines of interest are chemistry, materials science, physics, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering. Publishing formats include original research papers and reviews. It is published by Wiley-VCH and the editor-in-chief is Ulrich Stimming (TUM CREATE Center for Electromobility).

Abstracting and indexing

The journal is abstracted and indexed by:

According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2011 impact factor of 3.149.

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