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Characteristics of Batteries:
1. It should be economically priced.
2. It should be light in weight and compact in size.
3.The voltage of the battery should not change much during its use.
4. It should provide power for longer time.
5. It should be rechargeable.
Characteristic terminologies of a battery;
I. current;
Current is the rate at which the battery is discharging. For an
efficient working of the cell there must be a large quantity of electro active
species which help rapid electron transfer reaction.
II. Voltage:
The voltage available from a battery depends on the e.m.f of the cell which
constitute the battery system. It is given by the Nerns’t equation
E cell = E° cell – 2.303 RT log Q
nF
Q is the ratio of the products of the molar concentrations of product
molecules to that of reactant molecules.
III. Capacity:
The capacity is the amount of electricity that may be obtained from the
battery and is given in ampere hours. (Ah). This depends on the size of the
battery which is determined by the Faraday relation C = wnF
M
Where W is the mass, M is the molar mass of the active material and C is the
capacity in ampere hours.
IV. Energy Density:
The ratio of the energy available from a cell or battery to its weight (volume)
is referred to as energy density. It is expressed as
avg
Construction:
Cell reactions:
a. The following reactions take place in lead storage battery during
discharging.
At anode;
Pb (s) Pb2 + (aq)+2e -
Pb2+ (aq) +SO42- (aq) PbSO4(s)
Pb(s) +SO42- (aq) PbSO4(s) +2e -
At cathode;
Pbo2(s) +2e-+4H+ (aq) Pb2+ (aq)+2H2O(aq)
Pb2+ (aq) +SO42-(aq) PbSO4(s)
Pbo2(s) + 4H+(aq) +SO42-(aq) +2e - PbSO4(s)+2H2O(aq)
Net cell reaction;
Pb (s) + PbO2(s) + 4H+(aq) + 2SO42-(aq) 2PbSO4(s) +
2H2O(l)
During the working of the cell, the concentration of H2SO4 decreases
as SO42- ions precipitated as PbSO4. With the decrease in the concentration
of H2SO4, the density of the solution also decreases.
The condition of the battery can easily checked by measuring the
density of the solution when the density falls below 1.20 gm/cm3, the battery
require recharging.
b. The following reactions take place in lead storage battery during
Recharging: The battery can be recharged by connecting it to an external
source of direct current. It would reverse the flow of electrons resulting in
the deposition of Pb on the anode and PbO2 on the cathode.
The charging reaction is as follows.
PbSO4(s) + 2 H2O (l) Pb(s) + PbO 2 (s) + 4H+(aq)+
2SO42-(aq)
Applications: Lead acid storage batteries are used for many purposes such as
automobiles, gas engine ignition, in telephone exchanges, railway trains,
mines, laboratories, hospitals broadcasting stations etc.,
iii) Nickel – Cadmium Battery:
This is also a secondary battery. It consists of Cd anode and metal grid
containing NiO2 as cathode. These electrodes immersed in KOH solution
which acts as electrolyte.
Cell reactions:
At anode:
Cd(s) → Cd+2(aq) + 2e-
Cd+2 (aq)+ 2OH-(aq) → Cd(OH)2 (S)
Cd (S) + 2OH-(aq) → Cd (OH)2(s) + 2e -
At cathode:
NiO2 (s) + 2e- + 2 H2O (l) Ni (OH)2 (s) +2OH-(aq)
The net cell reaction.
Cd(s) +NiO2(s) +2 H2O (l) Cd
(OH)2(s)+Ni(OH)2(s)
The reaction can be readily reversed because the reaction products Ni
(OH) 2 and Cd(OH)2 deposit to the electrode surfaces.
Ni-Cd battery is a portable re-chargeable cell and its cell voltage is
fairly constant of about 1.4 V
Like dry cell it can be packed in a sealed container. No gases are
produced during charging or discharging.
Modern batteries:
i) Zn-air battery
Zn battery belongs to the class of air- metal battery, which uses
oxygen from the atmosphere to produce electrochemical energy. It
offers very high energy density because the oxygen does not
contribute to the mass of the battery. This consists of porous carbon
plate as cathode rectangular flat plates of zinc as anode are placed on
either side of the cathode. The electrodes are immersed in 20% NaOH
which acts as electrolyte. The outer container is made up of glass or
ebonite.
The cell is represented as
Zn / NaOH (5M) / air, C
Cell reactions:
At anode;
Zn →Zn2+ +2e-
Zn2+ + 2OH →ZnO+H2O
Zn + 2OH→ZnO+H2O+2e-
At cathode;
½ O2 +H2O+2e-→2OH
The net reaction;
Zn + ½ O2→ ZnO
The cell produces an open circuit potential of 1.4V.
During charging the above reaction is reversed.
Application ;
1. It is used as a power source for hearing aids.
2. used in electronic pagers
3.used in military radio receivers and Railway Station.