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ABSTRACT: An open-ended activity for high school students and college students is
described. Students constructed a battery (galvanic cell) from common household materials
such as aluminum, copper, table salt, and Drano. The battery yielded voltages ranging from
1.2 to 1.9 V, which are higher than those from a typical ZnCu lemon cell or a recently
reported aluminumair battery, and a current density of 33 mA/cm2 that is up to 75 times
better than that of the aluminumair battery and 150 times better than those of the typical
lemon batteries. Students carried out various tests on the battery to gain an understanding
of the factors aecting the cell performance, such as eect of household materials, NaCl in
the electrolyte solution, electrode surface area, and electrode distance. Then, students,
working in groups, were tasked to build a high-performance battery using common
household materials. The nal battery assembly should be able to power the motors of
various toy cars. The project allowed students to relate chemistry to their everyday lives,
gain additional insight in the concepts and principles of electrochemistry, and receive
valuable hands-on experiences with electronics, circuits, and battery technology.
KEYWORDS: High School/Introductory Chemistry, First-Year Undergraduate/General, Second-Year Undergraduate,
Public Understanding/Outreach, Hands-On Learning/Manipulative, Inquiry-Based/Discovery Learning,
Electrolytic/Galvanic Cells/Potentials, Student-Centered Learning
EXPERIMENT OVERVIEW
Students worked in groups of 24. Each group constructed a
battery (galvanic cell) using common household materials such
as aluminum, copper, table salt, and Drano. Students carried
out various tests on the battery to gain an understanding of the
factors aecting the cell performance:
Eect of household materials
Eect of NaCl in the electrolyte solution
Eects of electrode surface area
Published: August 22, 2013
1341
Activity
RESULTS
GENERAL SETUP
In a typical cell, the dissimilar metal plates, cleaned by
scrubbing with steel wool, rested on the bottom of a beaker
(avoid contact between them). A wire was attached to each
metal plate in a simple crimp-style connection (Figure 1). The
HAZARDS
Drano and bleach are corrosive. They can cause eye and skin
burns and are harmful if swallowed. When bleach is mixed with
an acid, harmful chlorine gas is formed; when mixed with
ammonia, poisonous chloramines are produced. Students
should avoid procedures involving mixing bleach with an acid
At this point, students selected the electrodes, the sizes of, and
the distance between the electrodes, and the electrolyte
solution for the nal battery assembly. They should consider
whether to connect individual cells in series (to increase the
voltage output), in parallel (to increase the current output), or
in a combination of both series and parallel, to optimize the
1342
Activity
Table 1. Student Data for Cell Current, Voltage, and Current Density at the Al Electrode
Trial
Metal Pairs
Electrolyte Solution
Area (cm2)
Current/
Voltage/V
mA
Al/Cu
2.5 6.0
3.0
Al/Cu
2.5 6.0
3.0
Al/Cu
2.5 6.0
3.0
Al/Cu
3.5 3.8
3.6
Al/Ni
3.5 3.8
3.6
Al/Fe
3.5 3.8
3.6
Al/Zn
3.5 3.8
3.6
Reaction System
(mA/cm2)
Distance (cm)
1
Current
Density/
140
0.645
9.3
152
1.22
10.1
191
1.82
12.7
155
1.86
11.7
78
1.46
5.9
40
0.868
3.0
70
0.735
5.3
Figure 4. The cross-section view of the nal assembly of the cell with
dimensions of 3 cm 12 cm 3 cm.
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Activity
Table 2. Student Generated Current, Voltage, and Current Density of the Final Battery Assembly
Measurements at 5 mina
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Averageb
Standard Deviation
Current/mA
Voltage/V
Current Density/(mA/cm2)
391.0
1.404
6.5
367.1
1.318
6.1
396.0
1.303
6.6
385
1.342
6.4
15
0.055
0.3
3.9
4.1
4
a
The electrode materials were a 1.0 mm thick aluminum sheet and a 0.8 mm thick copper sheet. bMuch higher voltage (1.688 V), current (790 mA)
and surface current density (13 mA/cm2) were achieved when the Al electrode was constructed from a soda can.
(1)
(2)
K = [Al(OH)4 ]/[OH]
(3)
pK = 0.509
Cathode:
ClO(aq) + H 2O(l) + 2e Cl(aq) + 2OH(aq)
EClO /Cl = 0.89 V7
(4)
E o = 3.21 V
(5)
(6)
(7)
Al(OH)4 (aq)
(8)
(9)
SUMMARY
The activity allows students to gain experiences on how
electrode and electrolyte material selection aects the battery
performance. It shows an increased electrode surface area, a
decreased distance between the electrodes, and an increased
quantity of the mobile ions or reacting species in the electrolyte
solution result in an increased cell current. It also shows that
although cell voltage largely depends on the cell reactions,
various forms of over potentials and parasitic reactions can
aect the cell voltage signicantly. Students experience
connecting cells in series, parallel, or a combination of both
to vary the battery voltage and current. They appreciate
constructing anodes using the lightweight and abundant
aluminum that provides three electrons upon oxidation and
enjoy a high performance battery built with some well-known
household materials. The project allows students to gain better
understanding of electrochemistry, familiarity with the battery
technology, and valuable hands-on experiences with electronics
and circuits.
REFERENCES
Activity
ASSOCIATED CONTENT
S Supporting Information
*
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
*E-mail: furlanp@usmma.edu.
Present Address
The authors also declare the views expressed in this article are
the authors own and not those of the U.S. Merchant Marine
Academy, the Maritime Administration, the Department of
Transportation or the United States government.
The authors declare no competing nancial interest.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS