Most transport, machinery and electrical equipment in general is battery-operated. In the medical sector, they are equally important for ultrasound or X-ray devices as well as pacemakers. Not to be forgotten: household appliances such as vacuum cleaners, flashlights or shavers also require batteries. With regard to the increasing number of applications that batteries are used for, it is not surprising that nearly all countries regard them as strategic goods.
There are different types of batteries. We have rechargeable and non-rechargeable ones. Non-rechargeable batteries stay charged for a long time, but you need to do something with them after that. Some rechargeables can be recharged any number of times, but others can only be recharged a certain number of times before they need to be replaced.
Batteries are made of one or more electric cells. A cell is a device that creates an electrical charge when two different types of metals touch each other in an acid solution. The chemical reaction releases electrons, which flow as electricity through the battery.
Non-rechargeable batteries
Alkaline and Carbon Zinc Batteries
The carbon zinc battery is an old standby approach that provides very long shelf life, decent capacity and low cost. Alkaline batteries do the same on a smaller scale for high-drain consumer devices. Both are common examples of primary cells, meaning they can’t be recharged since their chemical reactions only run one way. Primary cells come in many forms, including carbon zinc, alkaline, mercuric oxide (aka mercuric cell), silver oxide and lithium. The last two are generally found in devices like watches and hearing aids.
Mercury Batteries
Mercury based batteries are one kind of battery which is used extensively to power electronic instruments, medical equipment and other things. Mercury batteries are not very expensive but it proves very costly when discarded because mercury is highly toxic in nature. This means if it enters the human body then the person may suffer from various diseases or else he would lose his life.
Silver Oxide Batteries
The Silver Oxide battery is a type of battery that is used in watches, cameras, heart pacemakers and other small electronic devices. It has revolutionized the manufacturing industry because it is less expensive and more environmentally friendly than the old mercury battery technology.
Rechargeable batteries
Lithium Ion Batteries
Lithium ion batteries are a type of rechargeable battery. They have lithium ions moving from one electrode to the other during discharge and when charging. A different material is used for the electrodes, instead of using metallic lithium.
Lithium ion batteries work in most instances where disposable primary cells (aka primary, non-rechargeable) such as alkaline or lithium carbon monofluoride can be used. This includes most applications, from toys to cameras and beyond. The only requirement is that the application allows the use of rechargeable cells.
Lead Acid Gel Batteries
Lead acid gel batteries are designed with AGM separators. They have the same high power and energy density as flooded lead acid batteries. And they can be operated even in a completely frozen state without losing capacity or power.
Because the gel batteries rely on the AGM separator to suspend and hold the battery acid, these cells cannot leak or spill like flooded lead acids. That makes them a good choice for environments where safety is paramount – such as trucks and RVs – and also makes them perfect for airplanes, boats and other instances where you don’t want any accidental spills.
There are some important things to consider before buying a gel cell. Because they use both positive and negative plates, Gel Lead Acid Batteries have slightly less capacity than their cousins. And while they can be completely discharged without damage, it’s best to avoid doing so if possible.
Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) Batteries
Nickel-Cadmium batteries are the oldest type of rechargeable batteries still in use. They are good because they are inexpensive, can hold a lot of power, and don’t cause problems like forgetting what charge your battery is at. This makes it good for flashlights because you won’t need to worry about changing the voltage when it drops.
NiCd cells are typically constructed with a cylindrical body like the one shown on the left. The positive terminal is on top, and has a ‘flooded’ area where the negative electrode is housed; the negative side also contains an oxide-coated nickel plate for conductivity.
Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) Batteries
The nickel metal hydride battery is a type of rechargeable battery that is used in cordless power tools, emergency lights, security systems, electric vehicles and portable devices like camcorders and cell phones. It’s also called Ni-MH. It has some advantages over Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) and other rechargeable batteries like the ability to recharge up to 1000 times.