A rechargeable lithium polymer Nokia mobile phone battery.

A rechargeable battery, also known as a storage battery, is a group of two or more secondary cells. These batteries can be restored to full charge by the application of electrical energy. In other words, they are electrochemical cells in which the electrochemical reaction that releases energy is readily reversible. Rechargeable electrochemical cells are therefore a type of accumulator. They come in many different designs using different chemicals. Commonly used secondary cell chemistries are lead and sulfuric acid, nickel cadmium (NiCd), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium ion (Li-ion), and lithium ion polymer (Li-ion polymer). Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 155 KB)By Richard Wheeler (Zephyris) 2007. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 155 KB)By Richard Wheeler (Zephyris) 2007. ... This article is about the telecommunications corporation. ... A demonstration electrochemical cell setup resembling the Daniell cell. ... For other uses, see Battery. ... Electrical energy can refer to several closely related things. ... A demonstration electrochemical cell setup resembling the Daniell cell. ... English chemists John Daniell (left) and Michael Faraday (right), both credited to be founders of electrochemistry as known today. ... For other uses, see Chemical reaction (disambiguation). ... Look up accumulator in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A valve-regulated, sometimes called sealed, lead acid battery Lead-acid batteries, invented in 1859 by French physicist Gaston Planté, are the oldest type of rechargeable battery. ... The nickel-cadmium battery (commonly abbreviated NiCd and pronounced nye-cad) is a popular type of rechargeable battery for portable electronics and toys using the metals nickel (Ni) and cadmium (Cd) as the active chemicals. ... Modern, high capacity NiMH rechargeable batteries A nickel metal hydride (or NiMH) battery is a type of rechargeable battery similar to a nickel-cadmium (NiCad) battery but which does not contain expensive (and environmentally risky) cadmium. ... Lithium ion batteries (sometimes abbreviated Li-Ion or Li-On) are a type of rechargeable battery commonly used in consumer electronics. ... Lithium ion polymer batteries, or more commonly lithium polymer batteries (Abbreviated Li-Poly or LiPo) are rechargeable batteries which have technologically evolved from lithium ion batteries. ...

Rechargeable batteries can offer economic and environmental benefits when used instead of one-time-use disposable batteries. Most rechargeable battery technology has been adapted into the standard “AA,” “AAA,” “C,” “sub-C,” “D,” and “9-volt” configurations that consumers are familiar with. While the rechargeable versions of these types of cells have a higher up-front cost than disposable batteries, rechargeable batteries can be discharged and recharged many times. Similarly, while the metals and chemicals in rechargeable cells can be more toxic than those in disposeable batteries, disposeable batteries nevertheless do release toxins into landfills and other more sensitive parts of the environment. Some manufacturers of NiMH type rechargeable batteries claim a lifespan up to 3000 charge cycles for their batteries.

Usage and applications

Unlike nonrechargeable batteries (primary cells), secondary cells must be charged before use. Attempting to recharge nonrechargeable batteries is not advised as it has a small chance of causing a battery explosion. A primary cell is any kind of electrolytic cell in which the electrochemical reaction of interest is not reversible. ... A battery explosion is a disastrous event caused by the misuse or malfunction of a battery, such as the recharging of a non-rechargable battery. ...

Some types of rechargeable batteries are susceptible to damage due to reverse charging if they are fully discharged; other types need to be fully discharged occasionally in order to maintain the capacity for deep discharge. Fully integrated battery chargers that optimize the charging current are available. A rechargeable lithium polymer Nokia mobile phone battery. ... This charger charges the battery until it reaches a specific voltage and then it trickle charges the battery until it is removed. ...

Rechargeable batteries currently are used for lower power applications such as automobile starters, portable consumer devices, tools, and uninterruptible power supplies. Emerging applications in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles are driving the technology to improve cost, reduce weight, and increase lifetime. Future applications are proposed to use rechargeable batteries for load leveling, where they would store baseline electric power for use during peak load periods, and for renewable energy uses, such as storing power generated from photovoltaic arrays during the day to be used at night. An uninterruptible power supply (UPS), also known as an uninterruptible power source or a battery backup is a device which maintains a continuous supply of electric power to connected equipment by supplying power from a separate source when utility power is not available. ... A Petroleum Electric Hybrid Vehicle (PEHV) is a vehicle using an on-board rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) and a fueled power source for vehicle propulsion. ... For electric vehicles other than battery powered passenger automobiles, see electric vehicle. ... Renewable energy effectively utilizes natural resources such as sunlight, wind, tides and geothermal heat, which are naturally replenished. ... A photovoltaic module that is composed of individual PV cells. ...

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association has estimated that U.S. demand for rechargeables is growing twice as fast as demand for nonrechargeables.^[1] This article is about the standards association NEMA. For other uses, see Nema. ...

Charging

Further information: Battery charger

During charging, the positive active material is oxidized, producing electrons, and the negative material is reduced, consuming electrons. These electrons constitute the current flow in the external circuit. The electrolyte may serve as a simple buffer for ion flow between the electrodes, as in lithium-ion and nickel-cadmium cells, or it may be an active participant in the electrochemical reaction, as in lead-acid cells. This charger charges the battery until it reaches a specific voltage and then it trickle charges the battery until it is removed. ... For other uses, see Electron (disambiguation). ... In ring theory, a ring R is said to be reduced if it has no non-zero nilpotent elements. ... This box:      Electric current is the flow (movement) of electric charge. ... A simple electric circuit made up of a voltage source and a resistor. ... An electrolyte is any substance containing free ions that behaves as an electrically conductive medium. ... From ancient Greece (Ionic) An Ionian is a member of one of the four great divisions of the ancient Greek people. ... For other uses, see Electrode (disambiguation). ... Lithium-ion batteries (sometimes abbreviated Li-ion batteries) are a type of rechargeable battery commonly used in consumer electronics. ... The nickel-cadmium battery (commonly abbreviated NiCd and pronounced nye-cad) is a popular type of rechargeable battery for portable electronics and toys using the metals nickel (Ni) and cadmium (Cd) as the active chemicals. ... Electrochemistry is the study of the electronic and electrical aspects of chemical reactions. ... A valve-regulated, sometimes called sealed, lead acid battery Lead-acid batteries, invented in 1859 by French physicist Gaston Planté, are the oldest type of rechargeable battery. ...

The reactions in lead-acid cells are illustrated in the following diagrams.

Diagram of the charging of a secondary cell battery.

Image File history File links Secondary_Cell_Diagram. ... Image File history File links Lead-acid_charging. ... Image File history File links Lead-acid_discharging. ...

The half-cell reactions and overall cell reaction for the lead-acid system are as follows:

Positive electrode

Negative electrode

Overall reaction

Battery charger

The energy used to charge rechargeable batteries mostly comes from household AC current/mains electricity using an adapter unit. It can be wired or wireless^{[citation needed]}. Charging backup batteries using off-peak energy paid for by on-peak excess electric power from residential solar panels exactly matches the critical peak shortage and nightly electric surplus. This load-leveling function helps eliminate the need for expensive peaking power plants and helps amortize the cost of generators over more hours of operation. Charging from the 12-volt battery of a car is also possible. Human powered generators are commercially available. One can also use portable batteries to charge or to be used directly after recharging. Most battery chargers can take several hours to charge a battery (excepting Nano Titanate batteries). Most batteries can be charged in far less time than the most common simple battery chargers are capable of. Duracell and Rayovac now sell chargers that can charge AA- and AAA-size NiMH batteries in just 15 minutes; Energizer sells chargers that can additionally charge C/D-size and 9V NiMH batteries. Flow batteries don't need to be charged on place, because they can be charged by replacing the electrolyte liquid. Battery manufacturers' technical notes often refer to VPC. This is Volts Per Cell, and refers to the individual secondary cells that make up the battery. For example, to charge a 12 V battery (containing 6 cells of 2 V each) at 2.3 VPC requires a voltage of 15.6 V across the battery's terminals. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1209x1131, 254 KB) battery charger File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Rechargeable battery Trust (electronics company) User:Matt B./Work in progress Metadata This file contains additional... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1209x1131, 254 KB) battery charger File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Rechargeable battery Trust (electronics company) User:Matt B./Work in progress Metadata This file contains additional... Type F mains power plug & socket The term mains usually refers to the general purpose alternating current (AC) electrical power supply (as in “Ive connected the appliance to the mains”). The term is not usually used in the United States and Canada. ... An artists depiction of a solar satellite, which could send energy wirelessly to a space vessel or planetary surface. ... Energy demand management is also known as demand side management (DSM). ... A photovoltaic module is composed of individual PV cells. ... Peaking power plants (also known as Peaker Plants) are power plants that generally run only when there is a high demand, known as peak demand, for electricity. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... This charger charges the battery until it reaches a specific voltage and then it trickle charges the battery until it is removed. ... A pair of Duracell AAA batteries. ... Rayovac (formerly known as Ray-O-Vac until 1988) is a battery maker based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. ... A Flow Battery is a form of secondary battery in which the electrolytes are not confined to within the power cell its self. ... Josephson junction array chip developed by NIST as a standard volt. ... A demonstration electrochemical cell setup resembling the Daniell cell. ...

Recharging electric vehicles

Main articles: Rechargeable electric vehicle and V2G

Recharging an electric vehicle using off-peak energy paid for by on-peak excess electric power from residential solar panels exactly matches the critical peak shortage and nightly electric surplus. While electric vehicles can charge slowly at night, raising the nightly low electric use, solar panels can lower the daytime peak, flattening the daily usage curve and lowering the cost of electric power for all users. For electric vehicles other than battery powered passenger automobiles, see electric vehicle. ... Vehicle to Grid (V2G) technology is a bi-directional grid interface for gridable Electric vehicles such as Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV). ...

Reverse charging

Reverse charging, which damages batteries, is when a rechargeable battery is recharged with its polarity reversed. Reverse charging can occur under a number of circumstances, the two most important being: The polarity of an object is, in general, its physical alignment of atoms. ...

• When a battery is incorrectly inserted into a charger.
• When multiple batteries are used in series in a device. When one battery completely discharges ahead of the rest, the other batteries in series may force the discharged battery to discharge to below zero voltage.

This charger charges the battery until it reaches a specific voltage and then it trickle charges the battery until it is removed. ... Electrical circuit components can be connected together in one of two ways: series or parallel. ...

Active components

The active components in a secondary cell are the chemicals that make up the positive and negative active materials, and the electrolyte. The positive and negative are made up of different materials, with the positive exhibiting a reduction potential and the negative having an oxidation potential. The sum of these potentials is the standard cell potential or voltage. An electrolyte is any substance containing free ions that behaves as an electrically conductive medium. ... ed|other uses|reduction}} Illustration of a redox reaction Redox (shorthand for reduction/oxidation reaction) describes all chemical reactions in which atoms have their oxidation number (oxidation state) changed. ... The most fundamental reactions in chemistry are the redox processes. ... International safety symbol Caution, risk of electric shock (ISO 3864), colloquially known as high voltage symbol. ...

In primary cells the positive and negative electrodes are known as the cathode and anode, respectively. Although this convention is sometimes carried through to rechargeable systems—especially with lithium-ion cells, because of their origins in primary lithium cells—this practice can lead to confusion. In rechargeable cells the positive electrode is the cathode on discharge and the anode on charge, and vice versa for the negative electrode. A primary cell is any kind of electrolytic cell in which the electrochemical reaction of interest is not reversible. ... Diagram of a copper cathode in a Daniells cell. ... Diagram of a zinc anode in a galvanic cell. ... Lithium-ion batteries (sometimes abbreviated Li-ion batteries) are a type of rechargeable battery commonly used in consumer electronics. ...

Example: Nickel Metal Hydride

Nickel oxyhydroxide (NiOOH) is the active component in the positive, while the negative is composed of hydrogen in the form of metal hydride. The electrolyte of this secondary cell is an aqueous form of potassium hydroxide. The chemical compound potassium hydroxide, (KOH) sometimes known as caustic potash, potassa, potash lye, and potassium hydrate, is a metallic base. ...

In the discharge process, the nickel oxyhydroxide is reduced to nickel hydroxide and the metal hydride is reduced to an alloy. An alloy is a homogeneous hybrid of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, and where the resulting material has metallic properties. ...

Nickel-Metal Hydride

Battery types

A valve-regulated, sometimes called sealed, lead acid battery Lead-acid batteries, invented in 1859 by French physicist Gaston Planté, are the oldest type of rechargeable battery. ... Lead-acid car battery A car battery is a type of rechargeable battery that supplies electric energy to an automobile[1]. Usually this refers to a SLI battery (Starting - Lighting - Ignition) to power the starter motor, the lights and the ignition system of a vehicle’s engine. ... VRLA stands for valve regulated lead acid and is the designation for maintenance-free lead-acid batteries. ... Lead-acid car battery A car battery is a type of rechargeable battery that supplies electric energy to an automobile[1]. Usually this refers to a SLI battery (Starting - Lighting - Ignition) to power the starter motor, the lights and the ignition system of a vehicle’s engine. ... The nickel-iron battery is a storage battery having a nickel oxide cathode and an iron anode, with an electrolyte of potassium hydroxide. ... The nickel-cadmium battery (commonly abbreviated NiCd and pronounced nye-cad) is a popular type of rechargeable battery for portable electronics and toys using the metals nickel (Ni) and cadmium (Cd) as the active chemicals. ... A nickel metal hydride battery, abbreviated NiMH, is a type of rechargeable battery similar to a nickel-cadmium (NiCd) battery but has a hydrogen-absorbing alloy for the anode instead of cadmium. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Lithium ion batteries (sometimes abbreviated Li-Ion or Li-On) are a type of rechargeable battery commonly used in consumer electronics. ... Lithium ion polymer batteries, or more commonly lithium polymer batteries (Abbreviated Li-Poly or LiPo) are rechargeable batteries which have technologically evolved from lithium ion batteries. ... User with Treo (PDA with smartphone functionality) Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are handheld computers, but have become much more versatile over the years. ... The lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery is a type of rechargeable battery based on the original lithium ion chemistry, created by the use of LiFePO4 as a cathode material. ... A Flow Battery is a form of secondary battery in which the electrolytes are not confined to within the power cell its self. ... The zinc-bromine flow battery is a type of hybrid flow battery. ... The vanadium redox ( and redox flow ) battery was first patented by the University of New South Wales in Australia in 1986. ... A NaS battery is a type of battery constructed from sodium (Na) and sulfur (S). ... Molten salt batteries are a class of primary cell and secondary cell high temperature electric battery that use molten salts as an electrolyte. ... The super iron battery is a type of electric battery. ... A silver oxide battery (IEC code: S), also known as a silver–zinc battery, is a primary cell (although it may be used as a secondary cell with an open circuit potential of 1. ... Rechargeable alkaline battery is a type of alkaline battery that is rechargeable. ... NASA G2 flywheel Flywheel Energy Storage (FES) works by accelerating a rotor (flywheel) to a very high speed and maintaining the energy in the system as rotational energy. ... An uninterruptible power supply (UPS), also known as an uninterruptible power source or a battery backup is a device which maintains a continuous supply of electric power to connected equipment by supplying power from a separate source when utility power is not available. ...

Notes

For brevity, entries in the table had to be abbreviated. For a full description, please refer to the individual article about each type. Battery types for which there is no article yet are listed below.

• ^a Nominal cell voltage in V. Most batteries contain multiple cells, for example an automotive 12 V car battery contains 6 cells * 2.0 V per cell for the total of 12 volts.

Graph of mass energy densities of several secondary cells

• ^b Energy density = energy/weight or energy/size, given in three different units
• ^c Specific power = power/weight in W/kg
• ^d Charge/discharge efficiency in %
• ^e Energy/consumer price in W·h/US$ (approximately)
• ^j Safe Depth of Discharge to maintain lifecycles
• ^f Self-discharge rate in %/month
• ^g Cycle durability in number of cycles
• ^h Time durability in years
• ⁱ VRLA or recombinant includes gel batteries and absorbed glass mats
• ^k most prominent example for an application
• ^l "heavy" and "light" refer to low and high energy density, respectively. Of course, some batteries with high energy density can be quite heavy.
• ^p Pilot production
• ^q Can't be stored in discharged condition
• ^r Depending upon charge rate
• ^t temperature related problems
• ^x charge problems: If the battery discharges below a certain voltage it may never be able to hold a charge again, also if overcharged the battery becomes extremely unstable and may explode.
• ^y More than 97 percent of all battery lead is recycled http://www.batterycouncil.org/recycling.html
• ^z These batteries can be recharged nearly instantaneously by replacing the electrolyte.

International safety symbol Caution, risk of electric shock (ISO 3864), colloquially known as high voltage symbol. ... Image File history File links Secondary_cell_energy_density. ... Image File history File links Secondary_cell_energy_density. ... Energy density is the amount of energy stored in a given system or region of space per unit volume, or per unit mass, depending on the context. ... Energy density is the amount of energy stored in a given system or region of space per unit volume, or per unit mass, depending on the context. ... In engineering, specific power (sometimes also power per unit mass or power density) refers to the amount of power delivered by an energy source, divided by some measure of the sources size or mass. ... The watt-hour (symbol W·h) is a unit of energy. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ... VRLA stands for valve regulated lead acid and is the designation for maintenance-free lead-acid batteries. ... A gel battery is a lead-acid battery with gelified electrolyte. ... Absorbed glass mat Absorbed glass mat (AGM) is a class of lead-acid battery in which the electrolyte is absorbed into a fibreglass mat. ...

Less common types

Lithium sulfur battery

A new battery chemistry developed by Sion Power^[16] since 1994. Claims superior energy to weight than current lithium technologies on the market. Also lower material cost may help this product reach the mass market.^[17] Not to be confused with lithium sulfur dioxide (Li-SO₂) batteries which explode when recharged.

Thin film lithium battery

An emerging refinement of the lithium ion technology by Excellatron.^[18] The developers claim a very large increase in recharge cycles, around 40,000 cycles. Higher charge and discharge rates. At least 5C charge rate. Sustained 60C discharge, and 1000C peak discharge rate. And also a significant increase in specific energy, and energy density.^[19]

Smart battery

A smart battery has the voltage monitoring circuit built inside. See also Smart battery system.

Carbon foam-based lead acid battery

Firefly Energy has developed a carbon foam-based lead acid battery with a reported capacity from 90 to 160 W·h/kg. This would be an energy and power density rivaling that of more exotic chemistries, e.g. nickel metal hydride and lithium ion.

CR2032 lithium battery Lithium batteries are primary batteries that have lithium metal or lithium compounds as an anode. ... Smart Battery System or SBS is a specification for determining accurate battery readings. ... Modern, high capacity NiMH rechargeable batteries A nickel metal hydride (or NiMH) battery is a type of rechargeable battery similar to a nickel-cadmium (NiCad) battery but which does not contain expensive (and environmentally risky) cadmium. ... Li-Ion Camera Battery Lithium ion batteries (or Li-ion) have become very common and dropped in price recently. ...

Recent developments

In 2007, assistant professor Yi Cui and colleagues at Stanford University's Department of Materials Science and Engineering discovered that using silicon nanowires gave rechargeable lithium ion batteries 10 times more charge.^[20][21] Stanford redirects here. ... Not to be confused with Silicone. ... A nanowire is a wire of dimensions of the order of a nanometer (10−9 meters). ... Li-Ion Camera Battery Lithium ion batteries (or Li-ion) have become very common and dropped in price recently. ...

Alternatives

To meet Wikipedia's quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup because it is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this section to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (April 2008)

• Optionally, for uses like radios and flashlights, rechargeable batteries may be replaced by clockwork mechanisms or dynamos.
• An alternative that is being used in transportation, uninterruptible power supply systems and laboratories is Flywheel energy storage.
• Ultracapacitors for transportation.

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Prose is writing distinguished from poetry by its greater variety of rhythm and its closer resemblance to everyday speech. ... For the Parliament song, see Flash Light (song). ... This article is about machines that produce electricity. ... An uninterruptible power supply (UPS), also known as an uninterruptible power source or a battery backup is a device which maintains a continuous supply of electric power to connected equipment by supplying power from a separate source when utility power is not available. ... NASA G2 flywheel Flywheel Energy Storage (FES) works by accelerating a rotor (flywheel) to a very high speed and maintaining the energy in the system as rotational energy. ... An Ultracapacitor is a capacitor that has an unusually large amount of energy storage capability relative to its size when compared to common capacitors. ...

See also

energy Portal

This article or section may contain poor or irrelevant examples. Articles should only contain pertinent examples. Please improve the article or discuss proposed changes on the talk page. You can edit the article to add more encyclopaedic text. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for further suggestions.

• Battery pack
• Battery electric vehicle
• Deep cycle automotive battery manufacturers
• Fuel cell
• List of battery sizes
• Mercury-containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act
• Nanowire battery
• Rechargeable energy storage system
• Trickle charging
• Ultracapacitor
• Wireless energy transfer
• Battery recycling

Image File history File links Portal. ... Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... A battery pack is a set of any number of (preferably) identical batteries or individual battery cells. ... For electric vehicles other than battery powered passenger automobiles, see electric vehicle. ... A fuel cell is an electrochemical device similar to a battery, but differing from the latter in that it is designed for continuous replenishment of the reactants consumed; i. ... 4. ... The Mercury-containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act (public law 104-142) was enacted by President Bill Clinton in 1996. ... A rechargeable energy storage system or RESS is a system that stores energy for delivery of electric energy and which is rechargeable. ... Most rechargeable batteries, particularly nickel-cadmium batteries or nickel metal hydride batteries, have a moderate rate of self discharge, meaning they gradually lose their charge even if they are not used in a device. ... An Ultracapacitor is a capacitor that has an unusually large amount of energy storage capability relative to its size when compared to common capacitors. ... An artists depiction of a solar satellite, which could send energy wirelessly to a space vessel or planetary surface. ... Battery recycling is an recycling activity that aims to reduce the amount of batteries going into landfills. ...

References

is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 102nd day of the year (103rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 102nd day of the year (103rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Rechargeable batteries

• High-performance lithium battery anodes using silicon nanowires
• Scientific American - How Rechargeable Batteries Work