Does \(OH\) with an unpaired orbit at \(O\) exist? What is fuel cell limited by? A piece of optical (fiber) glass barrier that separates the reactants; not using water as a medium at all.
Hey, alkaline battery has already been invented.
But the concern for \(H_2O^{+}\) was not considered. Nor the fact that \(OH\) is used up in the anode in the production of \(O_2\) but produced at the cathode when \(H_2\) is released. So, \(OH\) at the anode is moved to the cathode as the process progresses. And of course, \(H_2O\) is consumed.
\(OH\) produced at the cathode need to be moved back to the anode. \(OH\) is not charged.
For an alkaline battery, \(O\) produced at the anode oxidizes \(Zn\) to \(ZnO\), instead being released as a gas. The electrons produced are driven into an external circuitry and return to the cathode from outside. At the cathode, \(H_2O^{+}\) reduces \(MnO_2\) to \(Mn_2O_3\) with the production of \(OH\). The charge carried by \(H_2O^{+}\) is neutralized by the electrons returning to the cathode.
So the production/movement of \(OH\) influence voltage regulation. The voltage of the battery drops as \(OH\) accumulates at the cathode and depletes at the anode leading to an electron production drop at the anode.
And the internal resistance of the battery is dictated by the movement of \(H_2O^{+}\) produced at the anode, that moves to the cathode.
In a \(Li\) ion battery, the positive charge carrier is in part replaced by \(LiH^{+}\). This reduces the internal resistance and voltage regulation as \(LiH^{+}\) is lighter than \(H_2O^{+}\) and migrate quickly from the anode.
The role of \(OH\) seem to be replaced with \(SO\) from \(SO_2\) and a list of heavy electrolytes in many batteries. The accumulation of \(OH\) and its equivalent at the cathode and their depletion at the anode is worst with heavy electrolyte. Diffusion is the only mechanism by which these reactants redistributes. Since the battery is initiated by oxidation at the anode first, \(OH\) depletion at the anode is the main reason battery go dead. They are also the reason many types of batteries are limited to low current applications.
Still the existence of \(OH\) is unproven, but batteries drop dead all over the place.
