How to Make a Simple Hydrogen Fuel Cell

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Made By Manish Kumar

Today, I will be teaching you how to make a Hydrogen Fuel Cell. A Hydrogen Fuel Cell generates electrical power quietly and efficiently, without pollution. Unlike power sources that use fossil fuels, the by-products from an operating hydrogen fuel cell is only heat and water.

A single fuel cell consists of an electrolyte sandwiched between two electrodes, an anode and a cathode. Bipolar plates on either side of the cell help distribute gases and serve as current collectors.

In this case, Water is first broken down into its components Hydrogen and Oxygen using electrolysis. When The Power supply is switched off, these two recombine which actually creates Electrical Energy. :)

Take approximately 12 inches of the platinum wire and cut it into two equal pieces of 6 inches each. Take the end of each wire and twist it over the nail, so that it looks like a spring. However, leave approximately 1 inch free on the end. These will act as your electrodes. 

Now use the tape to stick the free 1 inch of the platinum wire on the Popsicle stick. Leave some wire free on the end. Do this for both the electrodes. 

My connecting leads were made of wire, with crocodile clips on the end, so that they can be connected to almost anything and everything. Attach the crocodile clips to the free end electrodes. 

Place the Popsicle Stick with the Electrodes connected on top of the beaker of water. Make sure the electrodes are immersed in the water and that they aren't touching each other. 

First connect the other end of the connecting leads to the Multimeter, and it should read 0.001 or 0.000 Volts. Both are fine. Disconnect the Connecting leads from the Multimeter next. 

Next, connect the leads to the 9-volt battery. Keep it on for a second, (You will observe that bubbles will be forming on one of the electrodes. And then immediately disconnect the leads from the 9-Volt Battery and connect the leads back to the multimeter. The Multimeter will now show some voltage such as 0.43 volts or  0.85 volts depending on the amount of time you kept the battery pack connected. You can actually use this voltage to power small objects such as a LED with the amount I used. On a Large Scale, it can power a Car or large electrical appliances. 

Congratulations, your hydrogen fuel Cell is now ready, and you can use it to power small items. Note : If the power supply is kept on for a long time, you are able to power something for a longer amount of time.