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Electric Battery

Materials Engineering

An electric battery is a source of electric power made of one or more electrochemical cells with external connections for powering devices. Benjamin Franklin first used the word battery in 1749 for a linked bank of Leyden jar capacitors, but the first true chemical battery was the voltaic pile, built by the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta in 1800 from alternating discs of copper and zinc separated by brine-soaked paper, which produced a steady electric current for a sustained period. A more practical design, the Daniell cell, was invented by the British chemist John Frederic Daniell in 1836 and became reliable enough for widespread use, powering early telegraph networks.

Facts
YearSourced to the subject's own account
1800 1
SignificanceSourced to the subject's own account
Volta's voltaic pile, a stack of copper and zinc plates separated by brine soaked paper disks, was the first device able to produce a steady electric current for a sustained period. 1
FAQs

What did the first electrical battery consist of?

Two plates of different metals immersed in a chemical solution.

The Engineering and Technology History Wiki credits Alessandro Volta with developing the first electrical battery in 1799. This battery, known as the Voltaic Cell, consisted of two plates of different metals immersed in a chemical solution.
Connections

Associated With

Energy Engineering, Fields

Energy storage is a core energy engineering concern

Nickel, Materials

In Field

Source Electric Battery (Wikipedia)

Invented By

Source Electric Battery (Wikipedia)
Additional Source Alessandro Volta (Wikipedia)Lead section
Sources
1. Electric Battery (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
  • History, Invention section, sentence 2
    Italian physicist Alessandro Volta built and described the first electrochemical battery, the voltaic pile, in 1800.
  • History, Invention section, sentence 3
    This was a stack of copper and zinc plates, separated by brine-soaked paper disks, that could produce a steady current for a considerable length of time.
  • In Field: Materials Engineering, Introduction
    Primary (single-use or "disposable") batteries are used once and discarded, as the electrode materials are irreversibly changed during discharge; a common example is the alkaline battery used for flashlights and a multitude of portable electronic devices.
  • Invented By: Alessandro Volta, Infobox: inventor
    Alessandro Volta
  • In Group: Batteries, Lead paragraph
    An electric battery is a source of electric power consisting of one or more electrochemical cells
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Alessandro Volta (Wikipedia)
Invented By: Alessandro Volta, Lead section
Quote, Invented By: Alessandro Volta, Lead section
Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta (18 February 1745-5 March 1827) was an Italian chemist and physicist who was a pioneer of electricity and power, and is credited as the inventor of the electric battery and the discoverer of methane.
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