fuel cell devices will revolutionize how our portable electronic devices are powered. Fuel cell devices will provide more power to our portable electronic devices than the alkaline, nickel cadmium, and lithium ion batteries that currently power our portable electronic devices. Additionally, these fuel cell devices will have a longer life than the aforementioned batteries. For example, with a fuel cell device it will be possible to keep a laptop powered on a fuel cell for a month without having to plug it in whereas with a lithium ion battery, you would be lucky to get two hours of power for your laptop.

Fuel cell devices work by converting chemical energy from chemical reactions between oxygen and a fuel into electrical energy. Although these chemical reactions must occur for the fuel cell device to provide electricity, these fuel cell devices can be the size of conventional batteries and can essentially function as batteries. However, unlike disposable and rechargeable batteries, fuel cell devices do not need to be replaced or recharged as long as the chemical fuel and oxidizer are available.

The development of fuel cell devices will be accelerated due to the development of materials that mimic the properties of spider silk. These materials, called polymeric nanocomposites, were developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This material can stretch and is highly resistant to tearing. As such, this material can be used in fuel cell devices to act as a membrane between the chemical fuel of the fuel cell device and the oxidizer.

Fuel cell devices will revolutionize how our portable electronic devices are powered and will, eventually, replace both disposable and rechargeable batteries with a more environmentally friendly solution.