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9
Fuel Cell Components and Design
As we have discussed in Chapter 1, a number of different fuel cells have been
under development and are in use for a wide range of applications. These
fuel cells are generally classied by the type of electrolyte used, type of ion
transferred, and the range of applicable temperature level. The most com-
monly used fuel cells are alkaline fuel cell (AFC), phosphoric acid fuel cell
(PAFC), polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), molten carbonate
fuel cell (MCFC), and solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). Among these, PAFC and
PEMFC are referred to as cation fuel cells with positively charged proton (H
+
)
as t