Can Protons in Hydrogen Fuel Cells Generate Electrical Current Like Electrons?

AI Thread Summary
Protons in hydrogen fuel cells primarily function as ions, contributing to the chemical reactions that generate electricity but do not create a current in the same way electrons do. The discussion raises the idea of using protons to generate power, possibly by turning a magnetic ring, but this concept faces challenges due to the nature of protons in a conductor. Protons are not mobile in the same manner as electrons, limiting their ability to create a circuit. In a fuel cell, protons help attract electrons, facilitating the overall process but do not serve as a direct source of electrical current. The feasibility of using protons for additional power generation remains uncertain.
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i was thinking over how a hydrogen fuel cell works, seperating the electrons and protons (into its ions like any other way of converting electrical energy to chemical) but i wondered if the protons as well as the electrons could be used as a current to creat a circuit such as the electrons do, or at the least could these protons be use to turn a magnetic ring around some metal to produce a secondary generator of power?
 
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professor said:
i was thinking over how a hydrogen fuel cell works, seperating the electrons and protons (into its ions like any other way of converting electrical energy to chemical) but i wondered if the protons as well as the electrons could be used as a current to creat a circuit such as the electrons do, or at the least could these protons be use to turn a magnetic ring around some metal to produce a secondary generator of power?

How do you propose to have non-interacting mobile protons in a conductor?

Zz.
 
The protons are already used in a fuel cell as ions are used in a battery - they are what attract the electrons (sorta).
 
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