There was a time when the term “fuel cell” was linked almost exclusively with America’s space program. The fuel cells in space used hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity for manned spacecraft, with the side benefit of producing drinking water. Few people will forget the near loss of Apollo 13 when a short circuit ignited oxygen inside a fuel cell tank. The resulting explosion crippled the craft, which eventually made it back to earth thanks to a level of creativity and intensity on the part of the crew and ground support personnel that can only be described as heroic. But fuel cells were around long before all that, and are now taking on a major role in more down-to-earth applications.

Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that convert a fuel, such as methanol or hydrogen, into electricity without burning. The principle behind the

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