Batteries were a simple affair in earlier days, when lead-acid and alkaline batteries were the extent of an old timer’s knowledge. These days there are many more battery facts to know about, and it can get quite confusing. To straighten things out, we’ll stick to the fundamentals here. And then surprise you with a twist in the tail that could turn everything upside down again.
Time to Unpack the Basic Battery Facts
Batteries and other energy storage media literally are everywhere we go, from monster battery farms to the tiniest capacitor. If you have a phone, or another internet-connected device, then you definitely rely on batteries for your personal communication. Did you know that most batteries work the exact self-same way? Here are the fundamental battery facts:
- Batteries store chemical energy, which they can convert to electrical energy.
- As this happens, electrons flow between their electrodes via an external circuit.
- This flow of electrons generates an electrical current that energizes the circuit.
- Ions flow between the electrodes through the electrolyte to maintain balance.
There are various types of batteries on the market, with competing voltages, shelf lives, calendar lives, and maximum recharges possible. These differences are the outward signs of their individual chemistries and materials. Most battery research aims at tweaking these variables.
Towards a Brave New Future for Batteries
Batteries are our useful allies indeed, especially when it comes to storing renewable energy which is becoming so very, very important. However, many of the fluids and pastes inside are toxic, and some can even explode and catch fire. Our scientists are working away to develop new batteries, that are safer and can hold more energy.
Some of their ideas are fairly conventional, while others are distinctly radical. One idea described in Advanced Materials imagines using salty human moisture from perspiration as a capacitor electrolyte. What battery facts and fancy will they think about next?
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