RECHARGEABLE BATTERY

Rechargeable Battery

Rechargeable Battery

The world we live in is pretty much based on electricity, most of the products we use/consume every day being manufactured with the help of electric current or powered by it. Furthermore, most of our portable devices contain miniature power supplies, capable of producing a relatively limited amount of current following a chemical reaction, but quite enough in order to allow the respective product to work for a certain period of time.

Yes, we're talking about rechargeable batteries, those things that no gadget-wielding person could live without, which allow us to listen to music while on the go, work on computers wherever we might be, talk on our mobile phones... and much, much more. However, whenever we pick up a couple of AA's at our local grocery store, we don't really comprehend just how many years of work, research and development are behind those small, metallic products. Within this article, we'll try to shed some light on the rechargeable battery's long history, as well as point out the main steps of the development of this concept. And our first stop in this journey is way back in time, around 2,000 years ago.

Although you might find this pretty strange, the truth of the matter is that the earliest rechargeable batteries were developed around two millenniums ago, in the ancient Mesopotamia. Unearthed back in 1936 somewhere near Baghdad, these “rechargeable batteries” were nothing more than terracotta jars, each containing a rolled-up sheet of copper that housed an iron rod.

Scientists believe that, by adding a food acid (lemon juice, vinegar, etc.), which played the role of an electrolyte, these things were actually able to product electrical current. They've even constructed replicas of these ancient rechargeable batteries, which are working quite well. Of course, since there are no documents or archaeological evidence regarding the possible uses of these “galvanic cells,” their actual functional use still remains a mystery, with no resolution in sight.

Early developments - the 1700's

Electricity has been one of scientists' favorite “playgrounds” throughout the 1700's and the 1800's. So, it's no wonder that the term “rechargeable battery” also emerged in this period, being used for the first time by Benjamin Franklin in order to describe a series of charged glass plates.

Another very important name from this period is that of Luigi Galvani, an Italian scientist who carried out extensive studies on electricity in general and “animal” electricity in particular. Between 1780 and 1786, he demonstrated the electrical basis of nerve impulses, his work becoming an inspiration for fellow scientists and even the official “father” of the rechargeable battery, Volta.

World's first rechargeable battery - the “Voltaic Pile” by Alessandro Volta

Alessandro Volta's work was carried out pretty much in the same time frame as that of Galvani. However, it was Volta that, back in 1800, created what would be later known as the world's first true rechargeable battery, which was dubbed the “Voltaic Pile.” The pile consisted of pairs of copper and zinc discs piled on top of each other, ...