History of accumulators

One of the most remarkable and original discoveries in the last 400 years has been the discovery of electricity.

You ask, was there electricity around that? The answer is probably much longer than just "yes." For practical use, electricity has appeared at our disposal since the middle of the XIX century, and initially in a very limited form. At a world exhibition in Paris in 1900, for example, one of the main attractions was an electricity-lit bridge across the River Seine.

The very first method of producing electricity was to create a static charge. In 1660, Otto von Guericke built the first electric car, which consisted of a large sulfur ball that, when rubbed, attracted feathers and small pieces of paper. Guerick proved that the sparks produced were of electrical origin.

For the first time, static electricity was suggested to be used in the so-called "electric gun" invented by Alessandro Volta (1745-1827). The electric wire was placed in a jar filled with methane. When the electric spark jumped through the wire, the jar exploded.

Then Volta thought about using this invention for communication at a great distance, although only one bit of information could be transmitted.

The iron wire, supported by wooden posts, was to be pulled from Como to Milan in Italy. At the destination, the wire ended in a jar filled with methane gas. On command, an electric spark would be sent by a wire that would blow up an electric gun to signal a coded event. But this line of communication has never been built.

In 1791, while working at the University of Bologna, Luigi Galvani discovered that the frog muscle contracted if it were touched by a metal object. This phenomenon was called "animal electricity." Subsequently, the theory of animal electricity was refuted. Encouraged by these experiments, Volta began a series of studies using zinc, lead, tin or iron as positive plates, and copper, silver, gold or graphite as negative plates.

In 1800, Volta discovered that using certain liquids as a conductor to provide a chemical reaction between metals or electrodes creates a continuous flow of electrical force. This led to the invention of the first Volta cell . Further, Volta found that the voltage is increased if the Volta cells are folded together.

In the same year, Volta reported on his discovery of a continuous source of electricity before the Royal Society of London. The experiments were no longer limited to a brief display of sparks, which lasted a fraction of a second. Now an infinite stream of electric current has become available.

France was one of the first nations to officially recognize the discoveries of Volta. At that time, France was striving for new scientific achievements, and new ideas were accepted with open arms, as required by the political conjuncture. Volta was invited by the National Institute of France, to read a series of lectures on which, as an active member of the Institute, Napoleon Bonaparte was present.

When Sir Humphry Davy , the inventor of the safe miner lamp, installed the largest and most powerful electric battery in the repositories of the Royal Institution of London, a new discovery was made. He connected the battery with the electrodes from charcoal and produced the first electric light. As witnesses reported, his voltaic arc produces "the brightest arc of light ever seen."

Davy's most important research was devoted to electrochemistry. After Galvani's experiments and the opening of the Volta cell, interest in galvanic electricity became widespread. Davey began to check the chemical effects of electricity in the 1800s. Soon he discovered that when electric current passes through some substances, these substances decompose. This process was later called electrolysis. The generated voltage was directly proportional to the chemical activity of the electrolyte with the metal. Obviously, Davey realized that the chemical effects of electrolysis and Volta cells are the same.

Volta's discoveries so impressed the world that in November 1800, he was invited by the National Institute of France, to read the course of lectures attended by Napoleon Bonaparte. Later, Napoleon himself helped with experiments, stretching sparks from the battery, melting a steel wire, discharging an electric gun and decomposing water into elements.

In 1802, Dr. William Cruickshank developed the first electric battery suitable for mass production. Kruikshank made square copper sheets, which he welded at the ends, along with zinc sheets of equal size. These sheets were placed in a long rectangular wooden box that was sealed with cement. The arrangement of the plates was supported by depressions in the box. Then, the box was filled with electrolyte (sea water), or acid.

The third method of producing electricity was discovered relatively late - electricity by means of magnetism. In 1820, Andre-Marie Ampere (1775-1836) noticed that the wires through which electric current flows are either attracted to each other or repelled.

In 1831, Michael Faraday ( 1791-1867) demonstrated that a coil of copper wire creates a constant electric current in a changing strong magnetic field. Faraday, helping Davy and his team in research, was able to create a continuous electric current, as the coil moves relative to the magnet. So the electric generator was invented. Then, this process was started back, and the electric motor turned out. Shortly thereafter, transformers were invented, which allowed the voltage to be varied to the desired value. In 1833, Faraday derived the basis of electrolysis, Faraday's law, according to which the mass of the converted substance is proportional to the amount of electricity that passed through the electrolyte.

In 1836, John F. Daniell , an English chemist, invented an improved battery that produced a more stable current than a Volta device. Until now, all the batteries were made up of primary cells. This meant that they could not be recharged. In 1859, the French physicist Gaston Plante invented the first rechargeable battery - a battery. This battery was on a lead acid basis, which is still used today.

Toward the end of the XIX century, giant generators and transformers were built. Transmission lines were installed, and electricity was available to mankind for lighting, heating and movement. In the early twentieth century, electrical technology was improved. The invention of a vacuum lamp led to the production of generators and amplifiers. Shortly thereafter, a radio was invented that made wireless communication possible.

In 1899, Waldmar Jungner from Sweden invented a nickel-cadmium battery that used nickel as a positive electrode and cadmium as a negative electrode. Two years later, Edison invented an alternative design, replacing cadmium with iron . Because of the high cost compared to dry or lead-acid batteries, the practical use of nickel-cadmium and nickel-iron batteries was limited.

After the invention of the compressed anode in 1932 by Schlecht and Ackermann , many improvements were introduced, which led to a higher load current and increased durability. A sealed nickel-cadmium battery, well known to all of us today, became available only after the invention of a completely sealed element by Neumann in 1947.

From the very first days after the discovery of electricity, humanity has become dependent on an invention, without which our technological achievements can not be. With increasing demand for mobility, people sought a compact source of energy - first for industrial use, then for home, and finally for portable use. Perhaps our descendants will look at today's technologies as something awkward and unreliable, as we look at the awkward 100-year-old experiments of our predecessors.

Source of information: http://www.fiamm.ru/

See also:

Electrochemical sources of current