Batteries

A battery is a device consisting of one or more electrochemical cells, which store chemical energy and make it available in an electrical form. There are many types of electrochemical cells, including galvanic cells, electrolytic cells, fuel cells, flow cells, and voltaic cells. more...

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Formally, an electrical "battery" is an array of similar voltaic cells ("cells") connected in series. However, in many contexts it is common to call a single cell a battery. A battery's characteristics may vary due to many factors including internal chemistry, current drain, and temperature. Generally, battery life can be prolonged by storing the battery in a cool place and using it at an appropriate current.

Although an early form of battery may have been used in antiquity, the development of modern batteries started with the Voltaic pile, invented by the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta in 1800. Since then, batteries have gained popularity as they became portable and useful for many purposes. Unfortunately, the widespread use of batteries has created many environmental concerns, such as toxic metal pollution. Many reclamation companies recycle batteries to reduce the number of batteries going into landfills. Rechargeable batteries can be charged hundreds of times before wearing out; and even after wearing out they can be recycled.

There are two types of batteries, primary (disposable) and secondary (rechargeable), both of which convert chemical energy to electrical energy. Primary batteries can only be used once because they use up their chemicals in an irreversible reaction. Secondary batteries can be recharged because the chemical reactions they use are reversible; they are recharged by running a charging current through the battery, but in the opposite direction of the discharge current.

History

The earliest known artifacts that may have served as batteries are the Baghdad Batteries, which existed some time between 250 BC and 640 AD. However, it is not known what electrical function they may have served, and if they were in fact batteries at all or if they were electrical in nature. Scientists have developed several theories about their use, including medicine (as a painkiller) and electroplating jewelry.

The story of the modern battery begins in the 1780s with the discovery of "animal electricity" by Luigi Galvani, which he published in 1791. He created an electric circuit consisting of two different metals, with one touching a frog's leg and the other touching both the leg and the first metal, thus closing the circuit. In modern terms, the frog's leg served as both electrolyte and detector, and the metals served as electrodes. He noticed that even though the frog was dead, its legs would twitch when he touched them with the metals.

Read more at Wikipedia.org