Fuel cell application: composite electrodes

The development of fuel cells over the last century has been heavily influenced by external factors. Initially, fuel cells were seen as an attractive means for the generation of power because the efficiencies of other technologies were very poor. However, as the efficiency of these other technologies rapidly improved, the interest in fuel cells faded. Then, in 1950’s fuel cells were rapidly developed for application in space. More recently, significant technical progress in fuel cell technology has made fuel cells appear more viable than ever for a variety of applications. Additionally, concerns about renewable energy resources and the environment have increased interests in generating power with even higher efficiencies and lower emissions, and this has also raised the interest in fuel cells. Although some interesting work was done on fuel cells during the first half of the 20th century, Sir Francis Bacon began his historical work on fuel cells in 1933 and developed a hydrogen-oxygen cell that operated at moderate temperatures using alkaline.