Electricity had become more than a scientific curiosity by the late 1830s, when Bird’s Cell improved the Daniell battery the way it did. Researchers needed a steady electric current for their experiments, and practical applications too.
John Daniell Had Already Made An Important Breakthrough
John Frederic Daniell had made an important breakthrough with his Daniell Cell. This was because it overcame the rapid loss of power affecting earlier designs.
However, that said, the original Daniell cell was relatively complicated. It used separate containers for different chemicals. This created an opportunity for further improvement.
Golding Bird Develops His Own Version At Guy’s Hospital
British physician and scientist, Golding Bird, developed an improved version in 1837. He was a doctor at Guy’s Hospital in London at the time, with a strong interest in chemistry and electricity. It was there that the Bird Cell improved Daniell’s earlier cell in a simple way.
Bird placed both chemical solutions inside one container. He separated them with a barrier of plaster of Paris. The plaster was porous. This allowed ions to exchange, while preventing the two solutions mixing.
This Makes The Cell More Compact Than Earlier Attempts
This simple idea made the Bird cell more compact than Daniell’s design. It also proved an important principle. For then on, going forward, battery inventors could separate materials while a allowing chemical reactions to continue.
Bird Was Particularly Interested In Electricity And Chemistry
Bird was particularly interested in what electricity revealed about chemistry, and the human body. He noticed copper forming within the plaster barrier during his experiments.
This unexpected result contributed to the growing understanding of electro-metallurgy, the use of electricity when working with metals.
Bird’s Cell Was Not The Final Answer To Practical Batteries
Bird’s cell did not become the final answer to practical battery design. However, it represented an important step in simplifying the Daniell cell. His use of a porous separator also helped point the way toward later designs.
In battery history, progress often comes through small improvements. Golding Bird’s innovation showed how changing one component could improve an existing battery design, and open new possibilities for future development.
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