23.6 Fuel cells Flashcards
what are the 3 types of cells?
primary
secondary
fuel cells
what are primary cells?
they are non-rechargeable
designed to be used only once
electrical energy produced by redox reactions
redox reactions cannot be reversed
why are primary cells non-rechargeable?
eventually, the chemicals are used as the redox reactions are non-reversibleso the battery goes flat as there is no voltage
what are secondary cells?
they are rechargeable
redox reactions can be reversed during recharging
how are secondary cells recharged?
as they redox reactions are reversible, the chemicals can be regenerated so the battery does not go flat
what is a fuel-cell?
gains energy from the reaction of a fuel with oxygen which generates a voltage
how does a fuel cell work?
the fuel and oxygen react and the products flow out
they don’t have to be recharged
what are the products of a hydrogen fuel cell?
only water
NO CO2
what are the 2 types of hydrogen fuel cells?
alkali
acid
alkali fuel cell
acid fuel cell
how are fuel cells recharged?
they dont need to be recharged
