Special Issue on Fuel Cell

A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent. Hydrogen is the most common fuel, but hydrocarbons such as natural gas and alcohols like methanol are sometimes used. Fuel cells are different from batteries in that they require a constant source of fuel and oxygen to run, but they can produce electricity continually for as long as these inputs are supplied.

Welsh Physicist William Grove developed the first crude fuel cells in 1839. The first commercial use of fuel cells was in NASA space programs to generate power for probes, 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 used to power fuel cell vehicles, including automobiles, buses, forklifts, airplanes, boats, motorcycles and submarines.

There are many types of fuel cells, but they all consist of an anode, a cathode and an electrolyte that allows charges to move between the two sides of the fuel cell. Electrons are drawn from the anode to the cathode through an external circuit, producing direct current electricity. As the main difference among fuel cell types is the electrolyte, fuel cells are classified by the type of electrolyte they use. Fuel cells come in a variety of sizes. Individual fuel cells produce relatively small electrical potentials, about 0.7 volts, so cells are "stacked", or placed in series, to increase the voltage and meet an application's requirements. In addition to electricity, fuel cells produce water, heat and, depending on the fuel source, very small amounts of nitrogen dioxide and other emissions. The energy efficiency of a fuel cell is generally between 40–60%, or up to 85% efficient if waste heat is captured for use.

In this special issue, we intend to invite front-line researchers and authors to submit original research and review articles on exploring Fuel Cell.

Authors should read over the journal’s Author’s Guidelines carefully before submission. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Paper Submission System.

Please kindly notice that the “Special Issue’’ under your manuscript title is supposed to be specified and the research field “Special Issue — Fuel Cell” should be chosen during your submission.

According to the following timetable:

Editors-in-Chief

Prof. Victor Sreeram; University of Western Australia, Australia

Prof. Yuanzhang Sun; Wuhan University, China

For further questions or inquiries

Please contact Editorial Assistant at

sgre@scirp.org