国家地理-2008-05-24 Fuel Cell 聚焦燃料电池

For something that could revolutionize the world, it’s come along very slowly. The fuel cell was invented in 1839, but there was little development until the 1950s when NASA started to use them in space where they are still used today. Now, after years of continuous development, things are speeding up.

At its core, the fuel cell is very simple. It uses hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe , as fuel. One type of fuel cell uses a membrane¹ and it looks something like plastic wrap . It allows the hydrogen’s proton to pass through while the electron is forced to take a different course. This produces electricity. The fuel cell runs as long as it’s fed hydrogen. The cleanest, the most readily available source of hydrogen is very easy to find. It’s water. Of course, it couldn’t be this simple. Somehow, the hydrogen in the water molecule² must be stripped and stored, and that takes power.

Peter Lehman at Humboldt State University in Northern California decided³ to build a renewable hydrogen fuel cell system for a research aquarium⁴.

“I think the legacy⁵ of the 20th century is that we were very good at burning things. Fuel cells offer a clean and efficient way to generate electricity. They are totally pollution-free and they are significantly more efficient than traditional ways of generating electricity.”

He bought solar panels to provide power to remove the hydrogen from water and tanks to store the hydrogen fuel. The problem was the fuel cell. No one produced one that would work with the aquarium. So Peter went ahead and built it. During the day, it uses power from the solar panels, but only part of that power. The rest is turned into hydrogen for use later by the fuel cell. That creates a completely renewable full-time⁶ system. The goal of fuel cell makers⁷ is to offer totally reliable, independent systems, but the competition is tough. To thrive in the marketplace, fuel cell makers must compete against the cheap and reliable power provided by fossil fuels. Peter’s reliable fuel cell system has already satisfied customers who are off the power grid⁸. Now, he’s ready to convince the rest of us.

Vocabulary Mix 
membrane  A thin sheet of natural or synthetic⁹ material that is permeable to substances in solution.

1 membrane   

n.薄膜，膜皮，羊皮纸

参考例句：

• A vibrating membrane in the ear helps to convey sounds to the brain.耳膜的振动帮助声音传送到大脑。
• A plastic membrane serves as selective diffusion barrier.一层塑料薄膜起着选择性渗透屏障的作用。

2 molecule   

n.分子，克分子

参考例句：

• A molecule of water is made up of two atoms of hygrogen and one atom of oxygen.一个水分子是由P妈̬f婘̬ 妈̬成的。
• This gives us the structural formula of the molecule.这种方式给出了分子的结构式。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 aquarium   

n.水族馆，养鱼池，玻璃缸

参考例句：

• The first time I saw seals was in an aquarium.我第一次看见海豹是在水族馆里。
• I'm going to the aquarium with my parents this Sunday.这个星期天，我要和父母一起到水族馆去。

5 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

6 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

7 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

9 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。