What Is a Magnesium Fuel Cell?
A magnesium fuel cell is a type of fuel cell that generates electricity through a chemical reaction of electricity. It is a fuel cell that uses magnesium as the negative electrode and dissolves magnesium with oxygen and salt water such as seawater to generate electricity.
Compared to lithium-ion batteries, which are the mainstay of electric vehicles, magnesium fuel cells extract more energy per unit volume, have higher power generation efficiency, and are attracting attention as an alternative fuel to petroleum fuels because magnesium can be extracted from seawater in abundance.
Uses of Magnesium Fuel Cells
They are mainly used as emergency power sources in times of disaster, to charge smartphones and radios, and as batteries for LED lanterns.
In addition, when the fuel runs out, new fuel can be supplied by replacing only the reactive part with a new one. It is expected to be used for drone batteries in the future due to its high energy density per volume.
Furthermore, due to its low environmental impact without the use of rare metals, research is being conducted with the expectation that it will be used as a battery for electric vehicles in the future.
Characteristics of Magnesium Fuel Cells
Compared to lithium-ion batteries, which are currently the mainstream, magnesium fuel cells are superior in cost, environmental impact, and safety.
In addition, magnesium that has undergone a chemical reaction becomes magnesium hydroxide. However, when exposed to solar heat, it can be reused once again as magnesium in a reduction reaction, making it highly recyclable.
In terms of safety, since salt water is used as the electrolyte solution, there is little risk of explosion, and since it does not self-discharge unless electrolyte is added, it has a high shelf life in an unused state.
Furthermore, they do not emit CO2 when generating electricity and generate no sound. As a result, they have a low environmental impact.
The disadvantage of magnesium fuel cells is that while primary batteries that are basically used up have been put to practical use, they have not yet been put to practical use as secondary batteries because the material for the cathode, which has the characteristics needed to optimally repeat charging and discharging magnesium ions, is still in the development stage.
In addition, costs are relatively high due to low production volumes.