Most fuel cells are powered by hydrogen, which can be fed to the fuel cell system directly or can be generated within the fuel cell system by reforming hydrogen-rich fuels such as methanol, ethanol, and hydrocarbon fuels.

There are many types of fuel cells, but they all consist of an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte that allows ions, often positively charged hydrogen ions (protons), to move between the two sides of the fuel cell. At the anode, a catalyst causes the fuel to undergo oxidation reactions that generate ions (often positively charged hydrogen ions ...

Each fuel cell technology has advantages and challenges. See how different types of fuel cells compare with one another.

This review discusses the history, fundamentals, and applications of different fuel cell technologies, including proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), direct methanol fuel cells, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFCs), alkaline fuel cells (AFCs), and molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs).

The chapter provides a comparison of various technologies: proton exchange membrane, solid oxide fuel cell, alkaline fuel cell, phosphoric acid fuel cell and molten carbonate fuel...