The History of Alkaline Batteries
The study of electricity required the ability to store the object of study. As a result, batteries developed initially as a way of creating electricity both for study and as part of other experiments. With the advent of the industrial age, cheaper, more powerful batteries became necessary. The alkaline battery is currently one of the most powerful disposable batteries available.
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Early History
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Archaeological finds potentially date the first known battery to nearly 2,000 years ago. The discovery of a clay pot in Iraq with a copper cylinder encasing an iron rod appears to be one of the earliest known batteries.
1700s
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The first modern battery was developed in Italy by Italian physicist Alessandro Volta. He called his first battery the "Voltaic pile." This early battery consisted of stacked copper-zinc discs separated by cardboard. The stack was moistened with either a salt solution or acid solution.
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1800s
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In 1836, English chemist John Daniell improved on Volta's early design, finding a way to avoid the corrosion problems that were present in Volta's design. In 1868 French chemist Georges Leclanche developed the first wet cell battery. The wet cell battery development lead to the development of the first dry cell battery in 1888 by Dr. Carl Gassner in Germany.
The first commercial production and sale of batteries in the United States began in 1896 with the introduction of the Columbia by the National Carbon Co. This same company introduced the first D cell sized battery and hand-held flashlight two years later in 1898.
1900s
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The 1900s saw an explosion in the sizes and types of dry cell batteries available. Miniature batteries were introduced that went on to power small devices like hearing aids and watches. Various battery standards were developed, like the 9V battery, that are still in use today. The first alkaline battery was developed by the Eveready Battery Co. in 1959. These batteries were branded "Energizer." Other companies followed suit, introducing their own versions of the alkaline battery. Rechargeable alkaline batteries were introduced by Canadian Karl Kordesch in 1992.
2000s and Beyond
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Alkaline batteries remain popular, but are slowly being replaced by the higher power and storage capacity of lithium based-batteries.
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References
- Photo Credit Photo: Paavo Leinonen, stock.xchng
