Primary and Secondary Batteries

Electrochemistry

E. Valenzuela
What is a battery?
An electrochemical device which transforms
the energy liberated in a chemical reaction
directly into electricity.
How do we use batteries?
Portable sources of electric power.

Storage energy.
i. Electric vehicles.
ii. Emergency.
iii. In conjunction with renewable power sources.
Generation-Consumption Curve
How did start?
Classification
Primary Cells.
a. Designed to be used once and discarded
Secondary Cells.
a. A rechargeable electric cell that converts
chemical energy into electrical energy by a
reversible chemical reaction. Also called storage
cell.
b. can be recharged and can therefore be used to
store electrical energy in the form of chemical
energy
Advances in performance.

Good business !

$50 000 million US

Leclanch cell
1.5 Volts

Common, low-cost primary battery;
available in a variety of sizes.

Low consumption devices.
Flashlight, portable radios, toys.

Leclanch cell

Zn
(s)
+ 2 MnO
2(s)
+ 2 NH
4
Cl
(aq)
ZnCl
2
+ Mn
2
O
3(s)
+ 2 NH
3(aq)
+ H
2
O



The Leclanche or zinc-carbon dry
cell battery has existed for over
100 years and had been the most
widely used of all the dry cell
batteries because of its low cost,
relatively good performance, and
ready availability.

Alkaline cell
1.5 Volts

High current applications.
Four times the capacity of a
equivalent size rechargeable Nickel
Cadmium or Nickel Metal Hydride
cells.
Four to nine times longer lifespan
than the equivalent Leclanch cell.


Early 1960s - Ten Batteries, two transistors!
Pacemakers
14
Modern Pacemaker one battery, thousands of
transistors






The Lithium/Iodine battery
One could argue that, based on standard battery performance
criteria, its not a very good battery!
It cant start a car, run a cell phone, or even power a flashlight.
It has very high internal resistance
It doesnt work well when its cold.
It doesnt work well when its too hot (above 55C).
Temperatures above 60C will permanently damage the cell. It
explodes like a bomb at 180.5C (the melting point of lithium).
Its not inexpensive to manufacture.
BUT Put it at 37C and ask it to provide 10 50 microamperes of
current, and it will do it reliably for many years.
Pacemakers
Lithium / iodine batteries.

3.1 V

Li +
1

2
I
2
LiI

Last 15 years.
Low current.

Other primary cells.
Button cells.
Mercury 1.4 V
Zn + HgO ZnO + Hg

Zinc / Air 1.65 V
Zn +
1

2
O ZnO

Silver Oxide 1.55V
Zn + Ag2O ZnO + 2Ag

Mark #7 torpedoes.
Alfa class submarines.


Hints for the exam
Definitions such as:
Energy density.
Power density.
Self discharge.
Battery internal resistance.
Maximum power transfer theorem.