Here’s a brief history of how the quest of scientists and innovators for improved power, weight, cost, and other factors have led to the modern battery that we know today.
- Voltaic Pile (1799)
Italian physicist Alessandro Volta created the first electrical battery in 1799 that could provide continuous electrical current to a circuit. The voltaic pile used zinc and copper for electrodes with brine-soaked paper for an electrolyte.
- Daniell Cell (1836)
British chemist John Frederic Daniell created The Daniell cell in 1836 to improve upon the limited service life of the Pile’s Cell. The Daniell cell used a copper pot filled with copper sulfate solution, which was further immersed in an earthenware container filled with sulfuric acid and a zinc electrode. The Daniell cell’s electrical potential became the basic unit for voltage, equal to one volt.
- Lead-acid (1859)
The lead-acid battery was the first rechargeable battery, invented in 1859 by French physicist Gaston Planté. Lead-acid batteries are low in cost and high in surge current, making them suitable for automobile starter motors and energy storage even today, with tens of billions of USD sales globally.
- Nickel Cadmium (1899)
NiCd batteries were invented in 1899 by Waldemar Jungner in Sweden, paving the way for modern technology, though they are being used less and less because of cadmium’s toxicity, giving up market share to batteries that are more familiar to us today.
- Alkaline Batteries (the 1950s)
The modern alkaline battery was invented by Canadian engineer Lewis Urry in the 1950s. Using zinc and manganese oxide in the electrodes, the battery type gets its name from the alkaline electrolyte used: potassium hydroxide. Alkaline batteries are used in regular household devices from remote controls to flashlights, with billions of alkaline cells sold in the world each year.
- Nickel-Metal Hydride (1989)
The development of the NiMH spanned decades, initially sponsored by Daimler-Benz and Volkswagen AG, and the first commercially available cells were introduced in 1989. The NiMH formulation uses a hydrogen-absorbing alloy instead of toxic cadmium. This makes it more environmentally safe – and it also helps to increase the energy density. NiMH batteries were widely used in power tools, digital cameras, and many electronic devices.
- Lithium-Ion (1991)
Sony released the first commercial lithium-ion battery in 1991. Lithium-ion batteries have high energy density and have several specific cathode formulations such as Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP), Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO), Lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), and Lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA).
Different lithium-ion chemistries are suited to specific applications, and the landscape is continually changing with new innovations.