2015 04 History Batteries

The history and development of batteries
April 30 2015, by Jose Alarco And Peter Talbot
Batteries have come a long way since their beginning back in 250BC. Credit:
Flickr/Patty, CC BY-NC-SA
Batteries are so ubiquitous today that they're almost invisible to us. Yet
they are a remarkable invention with a long and storied history, and an
equally exciting future.
A battery is essentially a device that stores chemical energy that is
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converted into electricity. Basically, batteries are small chemical
reactors, with the reaction producing energetic electrons, ready to flow
through the external device.
Batteries have been with us for a long time. In 1938 the Director of the
Baghdad Museum found what is now referred to as the "Baghdad Battery
" in the basement of the museum. Analysis dated it at around 250BC and
of Mesopotamian origin.
Controversy surrounds this earliest example of a battery but suggested

uses include electroplating, pain relief or a religious tingle.
American scientist and inventor Benjamin Franklin first used the term
"battery" in 1749 when he was doing experiments with electricity using a
set of linked capacitors.
The first true battery was invented by the Italian physicist Alessandro
Volta in 1800. Volta stacked discs of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn)
separated by cloth soaked in salty water.
Wires connected to either end of the stack produced a continuous stable

current. Each cell (a set of a Cu and a Zn disc and the brine) produces
0.76 Volts (V). A multiple of this value is obtained given by the number
of cells that are stacked together.
One of the most enduring batteries, the lead-acid battery, was invented
in 1859 and is still the technology used to start most internal combustion
engine cars today. It is the oldest example of rechargeable battery.
Today batteries come in a range of sizes from large Megawatt sizes,

which store the power from solar farms or substations to guarantee stable
supply in entire villages or islands, down to tiny batteries like those used
in electronic watches.
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Batteries are based on different chemistries, which generate basic cell
voltages typically in the 1.0 to 3.6 V range. The stacking of the cells in
series increases the voltage, while their connection in parallel enhances
the supply of current. This principle is used to add up to the required
voltages and currents, all the way to the Megawatt sizes.
There is now much anticipation that battery technology is about to take

another leap with new models being developed with enough capacity to
store the power generated with domestic solar or wind systems and then
power a home at more convenient (generally night) time for a few days
How do batteries work?
When a battery is discharged the chemical reaction produces some extra

electrons as the reaction occurs. An example of a reaction that produces
electrons is the oxidation of iron to produce rust. Iron reacts with oxygen
and gives up electrons to the oxygen to produce iron oxide.
The standard construction of a battery is to use two metals or compounds

with different chemical potentials and separate them with a porous
insulator. The chemical potential is the energy stored in the atoms and
bonds of the compounds, which is then imparted to the moving
electrons, when these are allowed to move through the connected
external device.
A conducting fluid such as salt and water is used to transfer soluble ions
from one metal to the other during the reaction and is called the
electrolyte.
The metal or compound that loses the electrons during discharge is

called the anode and the metal or compound that accepts the electrons is
called the cathode. This flow of electrons from the anode to the cathode
through the external connection is what we use to run our electronic
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devices.
Primary vs rechargeable batteries
When the reaction that produces the flow of electrons cannot be reversed
the battery is referred to as a primary battery. When one of the reactants
is consumed the battery is flat.
The most common primary battery is the zinc-carbon battery. It was

found that when the electrolyte is an alkali, the batteries lasted much
longer. These are the alkali batteries we buy from the supermarket.
The challenge of disposing with such primary batteries was to find a way
to reuse them, by recharging the batteries. This becomes more essential
as the batteries become larger, and frequently replacing them is not
commercially viable.
One of the earliest rechargeable batteries, the nickel-cadmium battery

(NiCd), also uses an alkali as an electrolyte. In 1989 nickel-metal
hydrogen batteries (NiMH) were developed, and had a longer life than
NiCd batteries.
These types of batteries are very sensitive to overcharging and

overheating during charge, therefore the charge rate is controlled below
a maximum rate. Sophisticated controllers can speed up the charge,
without taking less than a few hours.
In most other simpler chargers, the process typically takes overnight.
Portable applications – such as mobile phones and laptop computers –

are constantly looking for maximum, most compact stored energy. While
this increases the risk of a violent discharge, it is manageable using
current rate limiters in the mobile phone batteries because of the overall
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small format.
But as larger applications of batteries are contemplated the safety in

large format and large quantity of cells has become a more significant
consideration.
First great leap forward: lithium-ion batteries
New technologies often demand more compact, higher capacity, safe,

rechargeable batteries.
In 1980, the American physicist Professor John Goodenough invented a

new type of lithium battery in which the lithium (Li) could migrate
through the battery from one electrode to the other as a Li+ ion.
Lithium is one of the lightest elements in the periodic table and it has
one of the largest electrochemical potentials, therefore this combination
produces some of the highest possible voltages in the most compact and
lightest volumes.
This is the basis for the lithium-ion battery. In this new battery, lithium
is combined with a transition metal – such as cobalt, nickel, manganese
or iron – and oxygen to form the cathode. During recharging when a
voltage is applied, the positively charged lithium ion from the cathode
migrates to the graphite anode and becomes lithium metal.
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Because lithium has a strong electrochemical driving force to be
oxidised if allowed, it migrates back to the cathode to become a Li+ ion
again and gives up its electron back to the cobalt ion. The movement of
electrons in the circuit gives us a current that we can use.
The second great leap forward: nano technology

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Depending on the transition metal used in the lithium-ion battery, the
cell can have a higher capacity but can be more reactive and susceptible
to a phenomenon known as thermal runaway.
In the case of lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) batteries made by Sony in

the 1990s, this led to many such batteries catching fire. The possibility
of making battery cathodes from nano-scale material and hence more
reactive was out of the question.
But in the 1990s Goodenough again made a huge leap in battery

technology by introducing a stable lithium-ion cathode based on lithium
iron and phosphate.
This cathode is thermally stable. It also means that nano-scale lithium

iron phosphate (LiFePO4) or lithium ferrophosphate (LFP) materials can
now be made safely into large format cells that can be rapidly charged
and discharged.
Many new applications now exist for these new cells, from power tools
to hybrid and electric vehicle. Perhaps the most important application
will be the storage of domestic electric energy for households.
Electric cars
The leader in manufacturing this new battery format for vehicles is the
Tesla electric vehicle company, which has plans for building "Giga-
plants" for production of these batteries.
The size of the lithium battery pack for the Tesla Model S is an
impressive 85kWh.
This is also more than enough for domestic household needs, which is
why there has been so much speculation as to what Tesla's founder Elon
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Musk is preparing to reveal this week.
A modular battery design may create battery formats that are somewhat
interchangeable and suited to both vehicle and domestic applications
without need for redesign or reconstruction.
Perhaps we are about to witness the next generational shift in energy

generation and storage driven by the ever-improving capabilities of the
humble battery.
This story is published courtesy of The Conversation (under Creative

Commons-Attribution/No derivatives).
Source: The Conversation
Citation: The history and development of batteries (2015, April 30) retrieved 24 April 2024 from
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The history and development of batteries

April 30 2015, by Jose Alarco And Peter Talbot

A battery is essentially a device that stores chemical energy that is

Controversy surrounds this earliest example of a battery but suggested

Wires connected to either end of the stack produced a continuous stable

Today batteries come in a range of sizes from large Megawatt sizes,

There is now much anticipation that battery technology is about to take

How do batteries work?

When a battery is discharged the chemical reaction produces some extra

The standard construction of a battery is to use two metals or compounds

The metal or compound that loses the electrons during discharge is

Primary vs rechargeable batteries

The most common primary battery is the zinc-carbon battery. It was

One of the earliest rechargeable batteries, the nickel-cadmium battery

These types of batteries are very sensitive to overcharging and

In most other simpler chargers, the process typically takes overnight.

Portable applications – such as mobile phones and laptop computers –

But as larger applications of batteries are contemplated the safety in

First great leap forward: lithium-ion batteries

New technologies often demand more compact, higher capacity, safe,

In 1980, the American physicist Professor John Goodenough invented a

The second great leap forward: nano technology

In the case of lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) batteries made by Sony in

But in the 1990s Goodenough again made a huge leap in battery

This cathode is thermally stable. It also means that nano-scale lithium

Perhaps we are about to witness the next generational shift in energy

This story is published courtesy of The Conversation (under Creative

Source: The Conversation

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

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