Batteries are something we use on a daily basis, often without even thinking about them. Consider your remote control, your smartphone, your PC, vehicle, etc. Without batteries, would we be able to use these items? No. Life would definitely be harder and a lot less interesting.
Did you know that you can create your own? A battery is just a reaction that happens because of a chemical meeting a conductor. Curious kids everywhere enjoy learning how to make your own super battery.
How Does It work?
If you could look inside a typical battery, you will see a liquid of some sort. Typically, if you open a battery you will discover zinc, manganese dioxide, and potassium hydroxide. It becomes negative currents inside of the battery’s tube. When that cell, is connected to a circuit (a lightbulb) the zinc will react with the manganese. This causes it to lose electrons, which is collected by a metal rod inside the battery. They flow up from the bottom of the cell through a negative terminal, and through small wires to the bulb. When this happens, the bulb lights up. Then it travels back into the top of the battery on the positive terminal. With the circuit complete, you have power from your battery.
How to Build a Battery?
You can use a variety of liquids to build a battery. Soda, saltwater, and even water (though it works best with bleach, vinegar, or lemon juice). You will also need two metal strips. An aluminum can that has been sanded down to bare aluminum will work or you can buy strips from a hardware store. If you prefer to use water with bleach or other liquids, you can make a multi-cell battery with an ice tray, copper wiring, and some standard, non-coated screws.
Once you realize you have the ability to build a battery, and understand that you can produce an impressive amount of power with it, you can do anything. You may even be able to create a DIY flow battery. This exceptionally large battery can store enough power for solar panels on days when the sun does not ever shine.
What Battery Will You Create?
There are many different battery types out there. Some are big, some are small. Some are for marine use or solar panels. Wind turbines have to store power somewhere as well. Each battery is different in its own special way. You can see this between even AAA and C batteries.
All batteries need two things: voltage, and current. Voltage is like water pressure. The more you have, the stronger it is. The current is how much power can be created with that voltage. A smaller battery that powers a remote control can be smaller than what may be required for an RC car. Even though their voltage will always be around 1.5, a smaller AAA battery will deliver less current than the “C”.
It is a very simple process to create a battery because, throughout all batteries, the basic principle is the same. You can see this by running a test to make sure your battery works.