With the rise in portable devices such as laptops, cell phones, MP3 players and cordless power tools, the need for rechargeable batteries has grown substantially in recent years. Rechargeable batteries have been around since 1859, when French physicist Gaston Plante invented the lead acid cell. With a lead anode, a lead dioxide cathode and a sulfuric acid electrolyte, the Plante battery was a precursor to the modern-day car battery.
With NiCd and NiMH batteries, charging can be tricky. You must be careful not to overcharge them, as this could lead to decreased capacity. To prevent this from happening, some chargers switch to a trickle charge or simply shut off when charging is complete. NiCd and NiMH batteries also must be reconditioned, meaning you should completely discharge and recharge them again every once in a while to minimize any loss in capacity. LiOn batteries, on the other hand, have sophisticated chargers that prevent overcharging and never need to be reconditioned.
Rechargeable batteries are more beneficial to both the environment and your wallet than standard batteries. But how do they work? If you''ve ever been curious about how rechargeable batteries work or why you should switch from standard, we''ve got you covered.
There are a few key differences between a rechargeable battery and its standard cousin, but the core process required for a battery to power a device is the same. Those few differences, however, make rechargeable batteries way more efficient, energy-conscious, and cheaper in the long run.
To understand how rechargeable batteries work, you first have to know how a standard (one-time use) battery works. If you already know how regular batteries work, you can skip ahead a little bit; if not, check out this short explanation.
Going back to very basic science, a battery, like everything else in life, is made up of atoms. Then, an atom is made up of particles called protons, neutrons, and electrons. Although it seems like protons, electrons, and neutrons were defined multiple times throughout grade school, here''s a refresher. Protons are positive particles, electrons are negative particles, and neutrons are neutral particles with no charge.
If you grab a AA battery and take a close look at it, you''ll see a positive symbol (+) on one end and a negative symbol (-) on the other. These positive and negative indicators represent a positive electrode and a negative electrode inside the battery, separated by an electrolyte solution that controls the electric current between both ends of the battery.
The positive electrode, called the cathode, has a positive charge because it has way more protons than electrons. Then, the negative electrode, called the anode, has a surplus of electrons that don''t match its number of protons.
Both the cathode and the anode want to get to a state of equilibrium where they have equal numbers of protons and electrons. To do this, electrons travel from the anode (the negative end) to the cathode (the positive end) using the electrolyte solution, which only lets electrons through when a battery is connected to a device.
When all the excess electrons from the anode have made their way to the cathode, the battery is dead and can no longer power any of your electronics. On the other hand, rechargeable batteries can use a charger to reverse electron flow so that the anode once again has a ton of electrons to give off and allow an electric current.
This electron reversal process allows rechargeable batteries to be used again and again. Now, that''s not to say that you can buy a pack of rechargeable batteries and have it last you for life. Just like your smartphone battery life gets worse over time, rechargeable AA or AAA batteries will lose their ability to hold a full charge. If you''re maintaining and using your rechargeable batteries properly, they can last you up to five to seven years.
Rechargeable batteries have to be made of certain elements, like lithium, to allow for a safe recharging process. Non-rechargeable batteries are typically called alkaline batteries, with zinc and manganese dioxide as electrodes and either potassium or sodium hydroxide as the electrolyte solution dividing the two. Alkaline batteries can''t be recharged and, in fact, can even be dangerous and sometimes explosive.
If you decide to invest in rechargeable batteries, you''ll need to be sure you get the right charger for the batteries you purchase. There are three main types of rechargeable batteries: Li-ion (Lithium-ion), NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hydride), and NiCd (Nickel-Cadmium).
Getting a NiMH charger for Li-ion batteries or any other mismatched combination is a bad idea. So be sure to recognize what your rechargeable batteries are made of and find a proper charger for that specific battery type.
There are both environmental and financial benefits to using rechargeable batteries in lieu of standard batteries. Because rechargeable batteries allow you to buy less of them over time, you''re creating less waste, both from dead batteries and packaging from new packs of batteries. Plus, although you have to spend a bit more upfront for rechargeable batteries, you''ll save money over time. All battery brands differ in price and estimated charge length, so let''s take a look at Duracell''s batteries for a closer comparison.
A 4-pack of Duracell''s Standard AA Batteries retails for about $6, while a 4-pack of Duracell''s Rechargeable Batteries retails for about $16. Then, you''ll also need to buy a charger for the rechargeable batteries, or you can snag a value pack with batteries and a charger.
While you''d save $10 right away by sticking with standard batteries, consider how much you''d save with rechargeable batteries over 400 total recharges. It''s impossible to know whether you''d get exactly 400 recharges out of each battery, but that''s what Duracell boasts its rechargeable batteries are capable of. If you''re recharging your batteries instead of buying new ones---400 times over---that''s a huge amount of money saved.
Don''t forget about the environmental implications either! With Duracell''s rechargeable batteries, that''s about 400 packages of standard batteries (and ~1600 actual batteries) that you''re saving from the trash.
Of course, these are estimates that are just there to suggest the possibilities. As mentioned above, every battery brand boasts a different number of recharges, a different price difference, and sometimes even different types of rechargeable batteries. Duracell''s 400 recharges guarantee is also likely based on properly maintaining your batteries over the years.
As mentioned earlier, make sure you purchase the correct type of charger for the kind of rechargeable battery you bought. For example, if you go with Lithium rechargeable batteries, make sure you buy a Lithium-specific charger. Although your batteries might charge in a non-Lithium charger, it''s not as efficient and certainly not as safe.
Speaking of chargers, try to get a smart charger that will prevent overcharging. Smart chargers recognize when the battery is full and either cut off charging or switch to trickle charging until you can take them out of the charger. Even if you have a smart charger, you should still take your batteries out when you realize they''re fully charged, or even better, almost fully charged.
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