In our daily lives, we have come to rely on batteries to power up one device or another. There is a high probability that you are reading this article on a battery powered device.
First a little definition of what a battery is. An electrical battery is simply defined as a device with one or more electrochemical cells that convert chemical energy into electrical energy.
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Source: A voltaic cell
An example of a battery is a voltaic cell, though the battery is supposed to be a series of voltaic cells connected together, a single cell could also be referred to as a battery.
The basic voltaic cell comprises of these components:
When Zinc (Zn) is placed inside a salt solution, it would lose an electron.
Just a quick reminder here, oxidization is the loss of electrons ( e-) and reduction is gain of electrons ( e-).
Copper (cathode) readily oxidises zinc and zinc electrode is dissolved and deposited on the copper cathode according the reaction Zn = Zn2+ + 2 e-.
Similarly, the same reaction happens to the Cu represented by the reaction
Cu = Cu2+ + 2e-
However, Zn loses more electrons compared to that of Cu. Copper ions (Cu2+) gains more electron to become copper metal.
This reaction is as shown
Zn | Zn2+ || Cu | Cu2+
where || represents salt bridge and | represents the boundary between metal and solution
Cu2+ + Zn ⇌ Cu + Zn2+
The voltage measured between the two terminals is equal to 1.1V
Batteries are generally classified into two broad categories:
Primary Cell: The chemical reaction here is irreversible. Once the battery energy is depleted the only thing you could do to it is either thrash it or recycle it. They are the non-rechargeable battery types.
Source: Some examples of primary cell batteries
Secondary Cell are the battery type which chemical reaction could be reversed. They are the rechargeable battery types which are the majority of batteries most in demand used in devices such as mobile phones, PCs, car batteries, batteries used in renewable energy. They could be discharged and recharged multiple times during its lifecycle.
Examples include Nickel Cadmium (NiCd), Lithium Ion (Li-ion), Lithium Polymer (LiPo), Nickel iron (NiFe), Lead Acid battery, etc.
Google Free Image: Some samples of secondary cell (rechargeable) batteries
Now to some good ol' battery myths.
You should charge a new phone's battery first before using it or battery may not last. This is commonly known as a "calibration process". Due to testing and the time between manufacture and the phone getting to you, the batteries are usually down 40% or more. The myth is because the manufacturers sometimes recommend this so you would get the full measure of their phone's battery life. It would look bad for a phone with 12 hour battery life to go off in 6 hours. You can start using your new phone as soon as you buy it if you do not have the patience to charge it till full before use.
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Use of phone while charging could be fatal: Unless you are charging it on a high voltage transmission lines, these are urban legends, the worst that could happen is that your phone's battery may get slightly warmer due to the charging ongoing.
Plugging your phone's charger overnight could lead to overcharge: Today's charger is smart, once the battery is full, it cuts off charging. The only thing that could happen is you run up some energy bills due to that 5 watt or less being consumed by the charger!
Battery saver app saves battery: Sorry to burst this bubble, these apps together with other apps drain the battery faster. One of the ways to improve battery life is to reduce display light intensity. It is one of the major battery-sucking features of every phone.
Storing a battery on a concrete floor will discharge them. This may be due to olden day batteries made of wood boxes so storing in concrete would hasten the rate of discharge. Modern car/inverter/golf cart batteries could be stored on a floor with no problem to the battery.
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Car batteries last longer in hot climates than in cold ones. That is not true as the reverse is the outcome here.
"Maintenance free" batteries do not require any maintenance of any sort. There is still some maintenance to be done on some of these maintenance-free batteries, some may require a little amount of distilled water added to it after some use. Also, there is cleaning of the vent to allow gases escape easily, etc.
A high capacity battery would damage your car. For instance, using a 12V 150AH in place of your 12V 65AH would damage your car, apart from the battery size not fit, the car would always draw the needed current needed to start it. The only word of caution here is using a higher voltage battery (say 24V 150AH) when your car's system voltage is 12V.
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