postcard
Designing better fuel cells, one nanocarbon at a time.
Extras (graphics, more info, etc.):
How a fuel cell works
A fuel cell produces electricity via chemical reactions, rather
than by the physical combustion of hydrocarbons, like gaso-
line.
Hydrogen and oxygen are the fuels that power fuel cells, and AIRMAIL
the only waste product is water.
When operating at full capacity, a fuel cell has th e potenti al July 16, 2005
to produce 1.2 volts of electricity, about the same as a AAA
I’m taking a water sample from the headwaters of the Rio Santa Cruz, which begins in this
battery. Stacks of fuel cells are combined together to create
more power. beautiful Andean valley in Peru. To get to this valley in the Cordillera Huagaruncho, I hiked on
paths that were originally part of the ancient Inca Trail. I’m studying these headwaters because
Illustrations/graphics:
I want to understand how Andean mountain streams control the chemical composition of the
fuel cell diagram (proton exchange membrane fuel cell)
Amazon River. Water and sediments from this spot, 13,000 feet above sea level, will mix
make sure it shows carbon, catalyst, etc.
pic of Keith and mingle with other rivers as they flow down the mountains and join the Amazon. Here,
pics of carbon nanotubes/nanofibers (SEM)
I’m filtering the cold mountain water to get a sample of dissolved organic matter—carbon and
1) Hydrogen (H2) enters the anode nitrogen compounds. I’ll take samples like this from rivers all along a transect from the
2) With the help of a catalyst, H2 is split into protons (H+)
mountains to the lowlands in Peru. I want to see how these organic molecules change and add
and electrons (e-)
3) Electrons (e-) create an electric current as thueyp mas otvhe tao ltitude drops and the rivers get bigger. This will help us better understand the geo-
the cathode
chemical cycles of the Amazon, the world’s largest river and the single largest source of fresh
4) Protons (H+) pass through to the cathode
5) With the help of the catalyst, the protons (H+w)a cteorm dbuimne ping into the oceans.
with electrons and oxygen (O2) to become water.
Wish you were here!
Amy Townsend-Small
Amy Townsend-Small is a doctoral student at the Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas.
14 s p r i n g 2 0 0 6
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