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Battery exhaustion has become a "major concern" due to the rising power consumption of mobile electronic devices. Users constantly have the problem of gadgets running low on power or dying at times when they dont have a charger or plug-in. It would be nice to have a portable charger to replace the old and over used plug-in charger. This is where the concept portable fuel cell comes in.

In principle, a fuel cell operates like a battery.

Unlike a battery, a fuel cell does not run down or require recharging. It will produce energy in the form of electricity and heat as long as fuel is supplied.
They can be used for devices which are of a size and weight to be comfortably portable, by the user. The power source will be used in situations where there is either no connection to mains electricity or such a connection would impair operation of the device.

Direct methanol fuel cell Hydrogen Fuel Cell Formic acid fuel cell Proton exchange membrane fuel cell Zinc Air Fuel Cell

Each fuel cell has its own way of working. Let us now look at the working of a few types of cells.

1.Hydrogen Fuel Cell:

The hydrogen fuel cell manufactured by Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies extracts hydrogen gas from water and stores it in cartridges with a metal alloy that absorb the hydrogen.

To charge electronic devices, people use a pocket-size fuel cell charger, called the MiniPak, which pulls hydrogen from the cartridges and a produces an electrical current.
The kit comes with a USB charger and cell phone adapter and the company offers an optional AA-battery charger.

 The Hydrofill system for electronics is clean during use because the chemical reaction that happens in hydrogen fuel cells only produces water vapor and no air pollutants. The system can pump out 2.5 watts of power, making them suitable for smart phones, small digital cameras, GPS units, and cell phones that typically use 5-volt USB chargers.

Fig: A Hydrogen Fuel Cell

2. Zinc-Air Fuel Cell: Power Air has developed a zinc-air fuel cell, which it says offers advantages over hydrogen fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries.
It has high energy density, which means that batteries or fuel cells can pack more power into a given space compared to other batteries based on other chemistries. It's also safe, and the material can be recycled. Zinc is already used in many products, including batteries, and it is abundant. In a zinc-air battery or fuel cell, zinc powder or pellets are fed into an electrolyte solution. Exposing the solution to air causes a chemical reaction that starts the flow of electrons--what most people know as electricity.

Power Air's zinc-air power supply will cost about $20 and include adapters for common devices, such as iPhones and 3G mobile phones.
Consumers will be able to return the fuel cartridges for recycling and purchase new ones for between $10 and $20.

Fig: A Zinc-Air Fuel Cell

3. A Methanol Fuel Cell:

Japanese electronics giant, Toshiba Corp unveiled the Dynario, a direct methanol fuel cell packaged in a cartridge that is small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. Dynario contains an internal tank that can hold up to 14ml of methanol, which generates electricity via a chemical reaction with oxygen. A USB cable transmits the electricity to mobile devices, which are powered up almost instantly. A single refill of methanol takes about 20 seconds and can generate enough power to charge two mobile phones. The Dynario's hybrid structure uses a Lithium-ion battery, which stores electricity generated by the fuel cell.

It converts methanol liquid into energy to recharge the lithium-ion batteries, by then the batteries could recharge your mobile devices via a USB cable.

Fig: A Methanol Fuel cell

1. Toshiba Corp

Fig: Methanol Fuel Cell based charger manufactured by Toshiba corp

2. Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies

Fig: A Hydrogen Fuel Cell Based Charger Manufactured by Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies

3.Sony

Fig: Sony Portable Charger containing replaceable methanol fuel cell with a backup rechargeable lithium-ion battery

4. Motorola

Fig: Motorola Portable Charger

 They can be used anywhere without the necessity of a plug in point or in situations wherein plugging in could cause a damage to the circuit. They can be used with a wide variety of applications like mobile phones, iphones, mp3 players, cameras etc. A variety of fuels can be used, including: Methanol Propane Water (to produce hydrogen) Environment friendly as they emit only water vapor or very low CO2 depending upon fuel

Power is available as long as there is fuel Depending upon technology, they can operate in extreme environments from -20C to 50C

Load follow and thus do not overcharge, extending battery life (reduced power management)

Dynario has already raised some skepticism among IT industry observers who question the safety and practicality of carrying around bottles of highly flammable and rather expensive methanol. One of the problems with using fuel cells containing a solid fuel source is the inability to recharge the depleted solid fuel. Todays technologies have limitations in meeting the cost and size criteria for small portable devices.

The multi-billion market for batteries will continue to grow exponentially in the years ahead as more people around the globe cling to advanced consumer electronics. This means more people will be dependent on cords, plugging in and recharging batteries.

The fuel cell powers and/or recharges devices using standard USB providing charge when the battery cannot be immediately charged. It can be used with ease by anybody and can be useful for a multiple number of devices. I think that the market for such a gadget would be huge considering the sheer number of portable devices in play.