History of the battery. A voltaic pile, the first chemical battery. Batteries provided the primary source of electricity before the development of electric generators and electrical grids around the end of the 19th century. Successive improvements in battery technology facilitated major electrical a Contact online >>
History of the battery. A voltaic pile, the first chemical battery. Batteries provided the primary source of electricity before the development of electric generators and electrical grids around the end of the 19th century. Successive improvements in battery technology facilitated major electrical advances, from early scientific studies to the
Many accounts begin power''s story at the demonstration of electric conduction by Englishman Stephen Gray, which led to the 1740 invention of glass friction generators in Leyden, Germany.
Battery - Rechargeable, Storage, Power: The Italian physicist Alessandro Volta is generally credited with having developed the first operable battery. Following up on the earlier work of his compatriot Luigi Galvani, Volta performed a series of experiments on electrochemical phenomena during the 1790s.
Three important developments were vital to the creation of these batteries: the discovery of the LiCoO2 cathode by John Goodenough (1980), the discovery of the graphite anode by Rachid Yazami (1982) and the rechargeable lithium battery prototype produced by Asahi Chemical, Japan.
Delve into the fascinating History of Generators and discover how these crucial electricity-producing devices evolved over time.
The battery is one of the most important man-made inventions all throughout history. Today, it is generally used as a portable source of power, but in the past, batteries were our only source of electricity. Without its conception, modern comforts such as computers, vehicles and communication devices may not have been possible.
The journey which lead to the creation of the battery as we know it today involved one invention after another. Take a look at the historical timeline of the battery and how ideas for this development came to be.
Luigi Galvani, an Italian physicist, discovered a hint that paved the way to the idea of the battery. Galvani was dissecting a frog attached to a brass hook with an iron scalpel, and as he touched the frog’s leg, the leg twitched. The physicist believed that this was due to “animal electricity” wherein the energy that sparked the movement came from the leg itself. This was greatly opposed by Alessandro Volta, who believed that the phenomenon was caused by the two dissimilar metals and a humid conductor. Volta verified this concept through an experiment, which he published in 1791.
Volta took his research further by making the first wet cell battery. Putting together layers of copper and zinc divided by layers of cardboard or cloth soaked in brine, Volta came up with what is now known as the voltaic pile. The Voltaic Pile is the first true battery, producing a stable and consistent current. But despite of being capable of delivering consistent currents, the Voltaic Pile cannot produce electricity for a long time. Volta’s batteries only offer a short battery life, which is an hour’s worth at maximum. One of its flaws involves electrolyte leaks which cause short-circuits. Another problem is the formation of hydrogen bubbles on the copper, increasing the internal resistance of the battery.
British chemist John Frederic Daniell paved the way to overcoming the Voltaic Pile’s restriction by inventing the Daniell Cell. Hydrogen bubbles were eliminated by using a second electrolyte solution produced by the first conductor. The Daniell Cell made use of copper sulfate immersed in an unglazed earthenware vessel filled with a zinc electrode and sulfuric acid. Since it was made out of porous material, the earthenware vessel allowed ions to pass through but prevented the solutions from mixing. The Daniell Cell was also the first battery to incorporate mercury, used to reduce corrosion. This battery type produced 1.1 volts and was initially used to power communication devices.
A Liverpool-based instrument maker, John Dancer, used the design of the Daniell Cell. This battery was composed of a central zinc anode soaked into an earthenware vessel containing a solution of zinc sulfate. The porous earthenware pot is immersed in a solution of copper sulfate contained inside a copper can. The copper can acts as the cell’s cathode. Ions pass through the porous barrier but the solutions are kept from mixing together.
All batteries previously invented were primary cells, and so they permanently drained after all their chemical reactions were spent. Gaston Planté solved this problem by creating the first battery that could be recharged: the Lead-Acid Battery. By passing a charging and discharging current in the cell, the battery can supply energy for a longer time. A scientist named Camille Alphonse Faure enhanced the lead-acid battery. Faure designed a cell consisting of a lead grid lattice in which the lead oxide paste was pressed. Layers of these plate combinations were stacked for greater performance. The first model for a lead-acid battery was composed of two lead sheets divided by rubber strips forming a spiral. Lead-acid batteries were first used to power lights for train carriages.
French scientist Georges Leclanché invented a battery composed of a zinc anode with a manganese dioxide cathode wrapped inside a porous material. The cell made use of an ammonium chloride solution as the electrolyte. With carbon mixed into the manganese dioxide cathode, this battery presented faster absorption and longer shelf life. Leclanché improved this battery by substituting the liquid electrolyte into a pastier version, which resulted in the creation of the first dry cell battery. It could be used in different orientations and transported without spilling.
Another version of dry cell was invented by Carl Gassner, who obtained a German patent on a variant of the Leclanché battery. Gassner made use of Plaster of Paris to create the ammonium chloride paste, mixed with a small amount of zinc chloride in order to prolong the battery’s shelf life. As a result, the battery offered a more solid design and provided 1.5 volts in full use. Gassner obtained a US Patent for this battery in 1887. Gassner’s idea paved the way for the first mass-centric battery, powering portable electrical devices.
Waldermar Jungner, a scientist hailing from Sweden, has invented the first nickel-cadmium battery (NiCD). This is a rechargeable battery containing nickel and cadmium electrodes soaked in a potassium hydroxide solution. It is the first battery to make use of an alkaline electrolyte, which in turn gives it the capability to produce better energy density than the lead-acid battery.
A famous American scientist, Thomas Edison, picked up the nickel-iron cell Jungner designed and created another patented version of it. Edison made use of an alkaline cell with iron as the anode and nickel oxide as the cathode. He also made use of potassium chloride as conductor. The Edison battery was initially aimed for automobiles. However, it found greater use in the industrial and railroad market, being strong enough to survive overcharged and uncharged periods.
Zinc-carbon batteries were the primary source of energy until the late 1950s. But this battery type offers low shelf life and can easily be discharged. An engineer named Lewis Urry was assigned to find a solution in extending the life of zinc-carbon batteries by the Eveready Battery Company. Urry discovered that making use of alkaline in batteries offers more advantage, supplying greater energy at higher currents compared to the zinc-carbon batteries.
Gilbert Newton Lewis started with the experimentation on lithium batteries but it was not until the latter part of the century that the first lithium batteries became commercially available. Three important developments were vital to the creation of these batteries: the discovery of the LiCoO2 cathode by John Goodenough (1980), the discovery of the graphite anode by Rachid Yazami (1982) and the rechargeable lithium battery prototype produced by Asahi Chemical, Japan. Sony commercialized the lithium ion battery in 1991.
Image Sources: Down to Earth, Standard Battery Inc.
Alessandro Volta: Father of Modern Battery
William Gilbert: Father of Electricity
Luigi Aloisio Galvani (1737-1798)
Apparently the Baghdad battery actually wasn’t a battery and no evidence of electroplating has been found for that era.
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From lighting our homes to powering our industries, generators are the unsung heroes that silently keep our world running. Every flicker of a light bulb, every heartbeat on a hospital monitor, and the roar of engines all owe their existence to this marvel of science. Yet, few people ever pause to contemplate about where it all began. Where did the story start for this humble but powerful behemoth? Step into this illuminating journey as we explore together the complete chronicles of generator history.
At its core, a generator is an ingenious device capable of converting mechanical energy into electrical energy. It operates based on Michael Faraday’s principle of electromagnetic induction, which postulates that an electric current can be induced by changing magnetic fields.
Generators might not be visible players in your day-to-day life, but their impact is undeniably profound. Without them there would be no electric lights or modern communication devices such as smartphones or computers robbing us of the comforts we’ve grown so used too.
Moreover, in industries – from manufacturing plants to data centres – power disruptions could cause catastrophic consequences impacting production and profit margins. In times of calamity like hurricanes or massive snowstorms, generators stand guard as silent sentinels ensuring that basic services continue unabated essence, whether you’re at home watching your favourite show or at work crunching numbers on your computer – thank the humble generator for making it all possible!
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