The path a proton takes: Scenic route preferred to more direct path in alternative fuel cell membrane
Tuesday, August 28, 2012 - 08:02
in Physics & Chemistry
(Phys.org)—Meandering along the water-filled highways laced through an alternative membrane for fuel cells, protons visit sulfur and oxygen atom clusters along the way, according to scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The highways are lined with identical hook-shaped molecules. Each channel contains a shell that keeps the water in, formed by the molecules' backbones. The small clusters, known as sulfonate groups, dangle inside the channel. In the middle is a thin "wire" of water.