October 29, 2008
Fuel cells—do you know what they are or how they function? Most people don’t, just as most are not aware that many fuel cells contain gold. Fuel cells produce an electrical current by means of a chemical reaction. This electrical current is then directed outside of the cell to power, say, an electrical motor or a light bulb. The bipolar plates in a fuel cell help with corrosion resistance and help the electrical process along. Gold is often used to coat these plates.
Gold is used in fuel cells, but you may be wondering what exactly it is that fuel cells do. A fuel cell’s basic function is to change chemical energy into electrical energy. A typical fuel cell will have a number of bipolar plates. These bipolar plants serve to encourage corrosion resistance and to cut down on contract resistance to help the process along. Gold can be used as a coating for these plates.
Now when it comes to something like gold jewelry, any gold is good, but you would probably prefer to have something that is solid gold. Gold-plated jewelry certainly has its value, but it does not have the same kind of value as jewelry that is made up of much more gold.
Yet in the world of fuel cells, you would not attempt to convert chemical energy to electrical energy using a plate that is made completely of gold. So sometimes a little gold is good, as it is when in comes to fuel cells. And at other times, a lot of gold is preferred.
Still, having some gold is good even if you don