An engineering team at Washington University in St. Louis is looking into new ways to extend the lifespan of fuel cells.
The university is confident that fuel cells could someday generate electricity for nearly any device that is battery-powered. Typically using hydrogen (H2) as fuel and air as an oxidant, fuel cells are cleaner than internal combustion engines because they produce power via electrochemical reactions.
One issue that impacts the lifetime of the fuel cell is the oxidation, or breakdown, of its central electrolyte membrane. The process leads to formation of holes in the membrane and can ultimately cause a chemical short circuit.
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