History of the Fuel Cell
The announcement by SeimensWestinghouse and the Department of Energy of the commercialization of the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) points out the length of time and effort necessary to bring a process from discovery of the basic principles to commercialization. In the case of SOFCs it required over 150 years to bring the "hydrogen battery" to commercialization as a solid oxide fuel cell. The history of fuel cells begins with the discovery of electrolysis in 1800 when William Nicholson and Anthony Carlisle demonstrated that electricity could be used to decompose water into hydrogen and oxygen. Building on electrolysis, in 1839 Sir William Grove noted that an electrical current would flow between paired platinum electrodes sealed in separate tubes of hydrogen and oxygen, when the electrodes were immersed in an electrolyte of sulfuric acid. Calling his discovery a gas battery, he found that water accumulated in the electrode tubes and if several were connected in series (Figure 1, Seimens Electric) sufficient current would be produced to "effect the decomposition of water" or drive electrolysis.
Research into fuel cells was conducted during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and resulted in the discovery of a variety of fuel cell processes. However none were developed to commercial application and technical complexities limited the discoveries to subjects of laboratory research.
In the late 1930's Emil Baur and his colleague H. Preis of Switzerland experimented with the precursor of SOFCs using hydrocarbon fuel and solid oxide electrolytes made from exotic materials including zirconium, yttrium, cerium, lanthanum, and tungsten. Their designs were not as electrically conductive as hoped and they reportedly experienced unwanted chemical reactions between the electrolytes and various gases, including carbon monoxide.
In the 1940's, O. K. Davtyan of Russia added monazite sand to a mix of sodium carbonate, tungsten trioxide, and soda glass "in order to increase the conductivity and mechanical strength of the electrodes." The designs experienced unwanted chemical reactions and short operating life spans.
By the late 1950's, research into solid oxide technology was being conducted at several locations including the Central Technical Institute in The Hague, Netherlands, Consolidation Coal Company in Pennsylvania, and General Electric in Schenectady, New York. By 1959 solid oxide fuel cell development seemed to be doomed by insurmountable problems with the solid electrolytes that included relatively high internal electrical resistance, melting, and short-circuiting caused by semi conductivity. Research began to move away from SOFCs toward other processes.