Week 2 Challenge

In batteries and fuel cells, electrical energy is generated by conversion of chemical energy via redox reactions at the anode and cathode. As reactions at the anode usually take place at lower electrode potentials than at the cathode, the terms negative and positive electrode (indicated as minus and plus poles) are used. The more negative electrode is designated the anode, whereas the cathode is the more positive one. The difference between batteries and fuel cells is related to the locations of energy storage and conversion. Batteries are closed systems, with the anode and cathode being the charge-transfer medium and taking an active role in the redox reaction as “active masses”. In other words, energy storage and conversion occur in the same compartment. Fuel cells are open systems where the anode and cathode are just charge-transfer media and the active masses undergoing the redox reaction are delivered from outside the cell, either from the environment, for example, oxygen from air, or from a tank, for example, fuels such as hydrogen and hydrocarbons. Energy storage (in the tank) and energy conversion (in the fuel cell) are thus locally separated.

In electrochemical capacitors (or supercapacitors), energy may not be delivered via redox reactions and, thus the use of the terms anode and cathode may not be appropriate but are in common usage. By orientation of electrolyte ions at the electrolyte/electrolyte interface, so-called electrical double layers (EDLs) are formed and released, which results in a parallel movement of electrons in the external wire, that is, in the energy-delivering process.

In comparison to supercapacitors and fuel cells, batteries have found by far the most application markets and have an established market position. Whereas supercapacitors have found niche markets as memory protection in several electronic devices, fuel cells are basically still in the development stage and are searching to find a “killer application” that allows their penetration into the market. Fuel cells established their usefulness in space applications with the advent of the Gemini and Apollo space programs. The most promising future markets for fuel cells and supercapacitors are in the same application sector as batteries. In other words, supercapacitor and fuel cell development aim to compete with, or even to replace, batteries in several application areas. Thus, fuel cells, which originally were intended to replace combustion engines and combustion power sources due to possible higher energy conversion efficiencies and lower environmental impacts, are now under development to replace batteries to power cellular telephones and notebook computers and for stationary energy storage. The motivation for fuel cells to enter the battery market is simple. Fuel cells cannot compete today with combustion engines and gas/steam turbines because of much higher costs, inferior power and energy performance, and insufficient durability and lifetime. With operation times of typically <3000 h and, at least to an order of magnitude, similar costs, batteries are less strong competitors for fuel cells.