History of the Battery
Although we turn many devices on every day simply by pushing a button or flipping a switch, most people rarely think about what powers those mechanisms. It would be hard to imagine life without batteries because we use them so frequently for many different applications.
Battery History
The battery’s history goes much further back than you think. Many historians believe that batteries were used more that 2,000 years ago. Archaeological finds discovered in Iraq in 1938 suggest the invention of a crude battery between the second century BC and the third century AD. Dr. Wilhelm Konig found a clay jar sealed with pitch near Baghdad. The jar contained an iron rod protruding out of the center, and a copper tube surrounded the rod. Tests revealed that the jar had once held vinegar, wine, or another acidic substance, so Konig believed that the vessel was a primitive battery. Historians suspect that natives used the battery for electroplating gold onto silver objects.
Late 18th Century
Alessandro Volta discovered how to store electric current when he soaked discs in a salt solution and stacked them between copper and zinc plates, which produced a current. The process created the foundation of today’s battery technology. Called a “volt,” the standard unit of electric potential got its name from Volta after he published details of his discovery.
Last Half of 19th Century
Invention of wet-cell batteries, used in vehicles, and dry-cell batteries, used in remote controls, came in the last half of the 19th century. Modern car batteries still use technology that is comparable to the first lead-acid design, and rechargeable batteries have been around for almost 150 years.
Rechargeable Battery History
Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) batteries were the earliest dry-cell, rechargeable batteries, and their first commercial use was in the 1960s. However, the NiCd batteries had some drawbacks. Repeatedly charging the batteries while they still had some power remaining would eventually cause the NiCds to forget their full capacity limits, known as the memory effect. The result was that the batteries accepted only partial charges afterward, shortening their useful lives.
Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries last longer because they are not significantly influenced by the memory effect.
Lithium Ion (Li Ion) batteries weigh less, last longer and charge faster than the nickel-based batteries. They do not contain environmental hazards, and they can always accept full charges regardless of the length of their previous charges.
Single-use Battery History
Since Congress mandated removing mercury from most batteries when they passed “The Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act” in 1996, many single-use batteries are undergoing changes. Many of the improvements involve transitions to some type of secondary, or rechargeable, batteries.
As battery history progresses, innovative developments in design continue making batteries safer and longer lasting, and recent advances have produced batteries that are more recyclable as well. In addition, as consumers prefer smaller devices, many technological improvements focus on making lighter and smaller batteries.
