Common Storage Cells
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Some common types of storage cells
Dry Cells
The common dry cell, or LeClanché
Uses: Toys, graphing calculators, flashlights, and portable CD players.
Chemistry: Carbon rod electrode in paste of NH4Cl, ZnCl2, and MnO2, zinc casing is anode
Advantages:
Disadvantages: poor shelf life, produces gaseous byproducts that lead to voltage drops
Alkaline batteries
Uses: Toys, graphing calculators, flashlights, and portable CD players.
Chemistry: Zinc oxidation at anode, manganese reduction at cathode
Advantages: no gaseous byproducts
Disadvantages: a bit more expensive
Mercury batteries
Uses: Watches, pocket calculators, some cameras
Chemistry: Zinc oxidation at anode, has a mercury oxide cathode
Advantages: small
Disadvantages: mercury causes some environmental problems, must be properly disposed of
Storage Batteries
Lead batteries
Uses: car batteries
Chemistry: anode is porous lead, cathode is compressed lead, electrodes are immersed in sulfuric acid
Advantages: rechargeable, large initial current
Disadvantages: comparably low power, large and heavy
Nickel-Cadmium batteries
Uses: Laptop computers, cordless devices
Chemistry: anode is cadmium, cathode is nickel
Advantages: rechargeable, nearly constant potential, lightweight
Disadvantages:
Fuel Cells
Uses: Rocket engines
Chemistry:H2 gas is supplied to anode, O2 gas is supplied to cathode
Advantages: water vapor is only byproduct
Disadvantages:
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