Batteries

A man named Alessandro Volta created the first ever battery. He performed a series of experiments on electrochemical phenomena, which later on brought to life a simple battery. This new invention involved alternating zinc and silver disks separated by layers of paper or cloth soaked in a solution of either sodium hydroxide or brine.

In order to produce a battery a cathode and an anode must be present. They can never come into contact therefore; a separator is placed be tween the cathode and anode. This separator is soaked with an electrolyte that helps in ionic or electrolytic conductivity once the battery in activating.

Zinc powder and several other materials make up the anode, which is in a form of a gel. This gel is inserted into the steel can against the separator. It is now ready to produce charge but only for a certain amount of time, considering it is not yet sealed.

As a final point, the seal is inserted. It is made up of a brass nail, a plastic seal and a metal end cap. These three items are inserted into the steel can against the indentation formed earlier.

Once formed, batteries produce electric energy by means of chemical action. They have two structures called electrodes, each made from a differe nt chemically active material. The electrolyte helps promote chemical reactions at each electrode. Since a chemical reaction is occurring, the positive charge builds up at one electrode and the negative charge build up at the other. This forced the ele ctric current to flow from the positive electrode trough a conductor, to the negative electrode.

After the delivery of the battery, further advances were effective. The primary cell was produced, as well as the lead-acid cell, and the alkaline elect rolyte battery.

The dry cell battery is the most common of them all. It is essentially comprised of a metal electrode or graphite rod surrounded by a moist electrolyte by a moist electrolyte paste enclosed in a metal cylinder. The cathode is com posed of a form of elemental carbon called graphite, which is used as a solid support for the reduction half-reaction. In an acidic dry cell, the reduction reaction occurs within the moist paste comprised of ammonium chloride and manganese dioxide. This type of battery can generally be used in a flashlight and even something as miniature as a wristwatch.

Alkaline batteries consist of an alkaline cathode. It is a mixture of manganese dioxide, graphite and as always an electrolyte. This mixture is gra nulated, put into storage and then compacted into hollow cylinders called performs. They are then inserted into a steel can. This steel can along with the mixture becomes the cathode of the alkaline. It is then sealed. These batteries provide high ene rgy density.

Finally rechargeable batteries are often used. As soon as the chemical energy runs out the battery can no longer produce electric energy. These rechargeable batteries can be charged again by passing electric current through them.