The race for cheaper, better batteries has never been more intense and more interesting. The latest contender comes from Australia, from RMIT University. It is a hybrid between a chemical battery and a fuel cell that combines cheap resources—carbon and water—and promising efficiency. The battery works by breaking down water in the fuel cell with the help of electrons from an electric circuit. The protons resulting from this breakdown pass the cell membrane and bond with the carbon electrode where they are stored as hydrogen ions. That’s the charging part of the process. The power generation part reverses the process: the hydrogen is released from the carbon electrode and passes back through the fuel cell, shedding an electron, which turns them back into protons. These exit the cell to join the oxygen and electrons from the external circuit to become water again. It seems the great thing about this […]