A prototype fuel cell that could turn every household into a mini power station has been developed at Keele University in Staffordshire. Chemist Kevin Kendall and his colleagues have incorporated a ceramic battery into a conventional gas-powered water heater. Free electrons produced by the combustion of natural gas and oxygen are used to create a voltage across a thousand tiny tubes of zirconium oxide coated inside and out with metal alloys. This would provide enough electricity to power an average house. A commercial version costing £500 could eliminate domestic electricity bills, Kendall says.
More from Â鶹´«Ã½
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending Â鶹´«Ã½ articles
1
Are Neanderthals descendants of modern humans?
2
Why the right kind of stress is crucial for your health and happiness
3
We might finally know how to use quantum computers to boost AI
4
Exclusive report: Inside Chernobyl, 40 years after nuclear disaster
5
Hospital-acquired pneumonia reduced by daily toothbrushing
6
Electric vehicle owners could earn thousands by supporting power grid
7
How autoimmune conditions can unexpectedly drive mental illness
8
The rise, the fall and the rebound of cyclic cosmology
9
Iodised salt has become uncool but many of us need to eat more iodine
10
Parrot uses his broken beak to become a dominant male
