Invented by : Count Alessandro Volta
Invented in year : 1800
An Electric Battery is a device that produces electricity from a chemical reaction. It consists of a combination of one or more electrochemical cells, used to convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Batteries may be used once and discarded, or recharged for years as in standby power applications. Miniature cells are used to power devices such as wristwatches and portable electronic devices; larger batteries provide standby power for telephone exchanges or computer data centre. A cell consists of a negative electrode; an electrolyte, which conducts ions; a separator, also an ion conductor; and a positive electrode. The electrolyte may be aqueous (composed of water) or non-aqueous (not composed of water), in liquid, paste, or solid form. When the cell is connected to an external load, or device to be powered, the negative electrode supplies a current of electrons that flow through the load and are accepted by the positive electrode. When the external load is removed the reaction ceases. Batteries come in several styles; the most familiar are single-use alkaline batteries. NASA spacecraft usually use rechargeable nickel-cadmium or nickel-hydride batteries like those found in laptop computers or cellular phones.
History of Electric Battery
In 1748 - Benjamin Franklin first coined the term "battery" to describe an array of charged glass plates. From 1780 to 1786 - Luigi Galvani demonstrated the electrical basis of nerve impulses and provided the cornerstone of research for later inventors like Volta. When Luigi Galvani's experiments with "animal electricity" were published (1791), Volta began experiments that led him to theorize that animal tissue was not necessary for conduction of electricity. In, 1794, Italian physicist, Alessandro Volta camt up to a conclusion that a chemical interaction causes electricity And in 1800 - Alessandro Volta invents the Voltaic Pile and discovered the first practical method of generating electricity. Constructed of alternating discs of zinc and copper with pieces of cardboard soaked in brine between the metals, the voltic pile produced electrical current. The metallic conducting arc was used to carry the electricity over a greater distance. Alessandro Volta's Voltaic Pile was the first Wet Cell Battery that produced a reliable, steady current of electricity.
Development in the Invention of Electric Battery
Although early batteries were of great value for experimental purposes, in practice their voltages fluctuated and they could not provide a large current for a sustained period.
- Daniel Cell - In, 1836 - Englishman, John F. Daniel invented the Daniel Cell that used two electrolytes: copper sulphate and zinc sulphate. The cell was somewhat safer and less corrosive then the Volta cell.
- Fuel Cell - In 1839 - William Robert Grove developed the first Fuel Cell, which produced electrical by combining hydrogen and oxygen.
- Liquid Electrodes Battery - During 1839 to 1842 - Inventors created improvements to batteries that used liquid electrodes to produce electricity. Bunsen (1842) and Grove (1839) invented the most successful.
- Lead-Acid Battery - In 1859 - French inventor, Gaston Plante developed the first practical storage Lead-Acid Battery that could be recharged (secondary battery). This type of battery is primarily used in cars today.
- Leclanche Cell - In 1866 - French engineer, Georges Leclanche patented the carbon-zinc wet cell battery called the Leclanche Cell. According to The History of Batteries: "George Leclanche's original cell was assembled in a porous pot. The positive electrode consisted of crushed manganese dioxide with a little carbon mixed in. The negative pole was a zinc rod. The cathode was packed into the pot, and a carbon rod was inserted to act as a currency collector. The anode or zinc rod and the pot were then immersed in an ammonium chloride solution. The liquid acted as the electrolyte, readily seeping through the porous cup and making contact with the cathode material. The liquid acted as the electrolyte, readily seeping through the porous cup and making contact with the cathode material."
- Dry Cell Battery - In 1881 Carl Gassner invented the first commercially successful Dry Cell Battery (zinc-carbon cell).
- Nickel-Cadmium Rechargeable Battery - In 1899 - Waldmar Jungner invented the first Nickel-Cadmium Rechargeable Battery.
- Alkaline Storage Battery - By Thomas Alva Edison invented the Alkaline Storage Battery.
- Small Alkaline Battery - In the year 1949 - Lew Urry invented the Small Alkaline Battery.
- Solar Battery - 1954 - Gerald Pearson, Calvin Fuller and Daryl Chapin invented the first Solar Battery
Role of Electric Battery in the Improvement Of Human Life
- The invention of the first Voltaic Pile in 1800 revolutionised the energy sector as Batteries become a common power source for many household and industrial applications
- Battery manufacturing became a multi-billion dollar industry as result of it's wide usage in various industries.
- It served as a base for other Battery based inventions and improved the existing technology.
