We use batteries more or less daily in one form or another. They might be your car battery, rechargeable batteries in electronic devices or dry cell batteries. What we may not do is think how do batteries operate. What is it regarding them that gives them power?
Those C, D and AA batteries are called dry cell because they use a paste made up of powdered chemicals. The Alkaline type use an alkaline electrolyte. The voltage which range from 1.5 to 9 volts is dependant on the number of cells and the metal used for the electrodes. The battery produces a chemical reaction which creates the electrical current.
Rechargeable batteries have a reversible chemical property. When the battery is charged again after it goes dead, it is allowed to reverse itself to hold a charge again. This is a pretty basic explanation on how these work.
What makes lithium batteries so popular? They are much lighter than other types of rechargeable batteries. The electrodes are made from highly reactive lithium and carbon and can store a lot of energy. By comparison a lithium battery might store 100 watt-hours per kilogram where a lead acid battery might store 25 watt-hours.
The downside to lithium batteries is that they have a life span of about 2 or 3 years whether you use them or not. They are sensitive to high temperatures which can shorten their life. You should not allow the battery to fully discharge because it may ruin them. At the extreme, there have been some rare instances of lithium batteries bursting into flames.
You Can Revive Four Out of Five
Seemingly "Dead" Batteries
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Did you know you can reconditon batteries to bring them back to life?
