upLine art drawing of a dry cell: 1. brass cap, 2. plastic seal, 3. expansion space, 4. porous cardboard, 5. zinc can, 6. carbon rod, 7. chemical mixture
A dry cell is a type of
electric battery, commonly used for portable electrical devices. Unlike wet cell batteries, which have a liquid electrolyte, dry cells use an electrolyte in the form of a paste, and are thus less susceptible to leakage.
The dry cell was developed in 1886 by the German scientist
Carl Gassner
Carl Gassner is a German physician (17 November 1855 in Mainz; † 31 January 1942), scientist and inventor, better known to have contributed to improve the Leclanché cell and to have fostered the development of the first dry cell, also known ...
, after development of wet
zinc–carbon batteries by
Georges Leclanché
Georges Leclanché (October 9, 1839 – September 14, 1882) was a French electrical engineer chiefly remembered for his invention of the Leclanché cell, one of the first modern electrical batteries and the forerunner of the modern dry cell batter ...
in 1866. A type of dry cell was also developed by the Japanese
Sakizō Yai in 1887.
History
left, upDry cell battery by 1890">Wilhelm Hellesen 1890
Many experimenters tried to immobilize the electrolyte of an electrochemical cell to make it more convenient to use. The
Zamboni pile
The Zamboni pile (also referred to as a ''Duluc Dry Pile'') is an early electric battery, invented by Giuseppe Zamboni in 1812.
A Zamboni pile is an "electrostatic battery" and is constructed from discs of silver foil, zinc foil, and paper. A ...
of 1812 is a high-voltage dry battery but capable of delivering only minute currents. Various experiments were made with cellulose, sawdust, spun glass, asbestos fibers, and gelatine.
In 1886,
Carl Gassner
Carl Gassner is a German physician (17 November 1855 in Mainz; † 31 January 1942), scientist and inventor, better known to have contributed to improve the Leclanché cell and to have fostered the development of the first dry cell, also known ...
obtained a German patent (No. 37,758) on a variant of the (wet)
Leclanché cell
The Leclanché cell is a battery invented and patented by the French scientist Georges Leclanché in 1866. The battery contained a conducting solution (electrolyte) of ammonium chloride, a cathode (positive terminal) of carbon, a depolarizer of ...
, which came to be known as the dry cell because it did not have a free liquid electrolyte. Instead, the ammonium chloride was mixed with
Plaster of Paris
Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...
to create a paste, with a small amount of
zinc chloride
Zinc chloride is the name of inorganic chemical compounds with the formula ZnCl2 and its hydrates. Zinc chlorides, of which nine crystalline forms are known, are colorless or white, and are highly soluble in water. This salt is hygroscopic and e ...
added in to extend the shell life. The
manganese dioxide cathode was dipped in this paste, and both were sealed in a zinc shell, which also acts as the anode. In November 1887, he obtained for the same device. A dry-battery was invented in Japan during the
Meiji Era in 1887. The inventor was
Sakizō Yai. However, Yai didn't have enough money to file the patent, the first patent holder of a battery in Japan was not Yai, but
Takahashi Ichisaburo
is the third most common Japanese surname. Less common variants include , , , , , , , and . Notable people with the surname include:
* Aaron Takahashi, American actor
* , Japanese singer and actress
* , Japanese kickboxer
* , Japanese classica ...
.
Wilhelm Hellesen also invented a dry-battery and obtained in 1890.
Unlike previous wet cells, Gassner's dry cell is more solid, does not require maintenance, does not spill, and can be used in any orientation. It provides a potential of 1.5 volts. The first mass-produced model was the Columbia dry cell, first marketed by the
National Carbon Company The National Carbon Company was founded in 1886 by the former Brush Electric Company executive W. H. Lawrence, in association with Myron T. Herrick, James Parmelee, and Webb Hayes, son of U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes, in Cleveland, Ohio. ...
in 1896.
The NCC improved Gassner's model by replacing the plaster of Paris with coiled cardboard, an innovation that leaves more space for the cathode and makes the battery easier to assemble. It was the first convenient battery for the masses and made portable electrical devices practical.
The
zinc–carbon cell (as it came to be known) is still manufactured today.
Design
A dry cell uses a paste
electrolyte, with only enough
moisture
Moisture is the presence of a liquid, especially water, often in trace amounts. Small amounts of water may be found, for example, in the air (humidity), in foods, and in some commercial products. Moisture also refers to the amount of water vapo ...
to allow current to flow. Unlike a
wet cell
An electric battery is a source of electric power consisting of one or more electrochemical cells with external connections for powering electrical devices.
When a battery is supplying power, its positive terminal is the cathode and its negat ...
, a dry cell can operate in any orientation without spilling, as it contains no free liquid, making it suitable for portable equipment. By comparison, the first wet cells were typically fragile glass containers with lead rods hanging from the open top and needed careful handling to avoid
spillage
In industrial production, spillage is the loss of production output due to production of a series of defective or unacceptable products which must be rejected. Spillage is an often costly event which occurs in manufacturing when a process degrad ...
.
Lead–acid batteries did not achieve the safety and portability of the dry cell until the development of the
gel battery
A valve regulated lead–acid (VRLA) battery, commonly known as a sealed lead–acid (SLA) battery, is a type of lead–acid battery characterized by a limited amount of electrolyte ("starved" electrolyte) absorbed in a plate separator or formed ...
. Wet cells have continued to be used for high-drain applications, such as starting
internal combustion engine
An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal c ...
s, because inhibiting the electrolyte flow tends to reduce the current capability.
A common dry cell is the
zinc–carbon cell, sometimes called the dry
Leclanché cell
The Leclanché cell is a battery invented and patented by the French scientist Georges Leclanché in 1866. The battery contained a conducting solution (electrolyte) of ammonium chloride, a cathode (positive terminal) of carbon, a depolarizer of ...
, with a nominal voltage of 1.5
volt
The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units (SI). It is named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta (1745–1827).
Defin ...
s, the same as the
alkaline cell
An alkaline battery (IEC code: L) is a type of primary battery where the electrolyte (most commonly potassium hydroxide) has a pH value above 7. Typically these batteries derive energy from the reaction between zinc metal and manganese dioxi ...
(since both use the same
zinc
Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...
–
manganese dioxide combination).
A standard dry cell comprises a
zinc
Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...
anode
An anode is an electrode of a polarized electrical device through which conventional current enters the device. This contrasts with a cathode, an electrode of the device through which conventional current leaves the device. A common mnemonic ...
, usually in the form of a cylindrical pot, with a
carbon
Carbon () is a chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent—its atom making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds. It belongs to group 14 of the periodic table. Carbon mak ...
cathode
A cathode is the electrode from which a conventional current leaves a polarized electrical device. This definition can be recalled by using the mnemonic ''CCD'' for ''Cathode Current Departs''. A conventional current describes the direction in wh ...
in the form of a central rod. The
electrolyte is
ammonium chloride in the form of a paste next to the zinc anode. The remaining space between the electrolyte and carbon cathode is taken up by a second paste consisting of
ammonium chloride and
manganese dioxide, the latter acting as a
depolariser. In some designs, often marketed as "heavy duty", the ammonium chloride is replaced with
zinc chloride
Zinc chloride is the name of inorganic chemical compounds with the formula ZnCl2 and its hydrates. Zinc chlorides, of which nine crystalline forms are known, are colorless or white, and are highly soluble in water. This salt is hygroscopic and e ...
.
Types
Primary cells are not
rechargeable
A rechargeable battery, storage battery, or secondary cell (formally a type of energy accumulator), is a type of electrical battery which can be charged, discharged into a load, and recharged many times, as opposed to a disposable or prim ...
and are generally disposed of after the cell's internal reaction has consumed the reactive starting chemicals.
Secondary cells are rechargeable, and may be reused multiple times.
*
Primary cell
A primary battery or primary cell is a battery (a galvanic cell) that is designed to be used once and discarded, and not recharged with electricity and reused like a secondary cell (rechargeable battery). In general, the electrochemical reaction ...
**
Zinc–carbon cell
**
Alkaline cell
An alkaline battery (IEC code: L) is a type of primary battery where the electrolyte (most commonly potassium hydroxide) has a pH value above 7. Typically these batteries derive energy from the reaction between zinc metal and manganese dioxi ...
**
Lithium cell
Lithium battery may refer to:
* Lithium metal battery, a non-rechargeable battery with lithium as an anode
** Rechargeable lithium metal battery, a rechargeable counterpart to the lithium metal battery
* Lithium-ion battery, a rechargeable batte ...
**
Mercury cell
A mercury battery (also called mercuric oxide battery, mercury cell, button cell, or Ruben-Mallory) is a non-rechargeable electrochemical battery, a primary cell. Mercury batteries use a reaction between mercuric oxide and zinc electrodes in an ...
**
Silver-oxide cell
*
Secondary cell
A rechargeable battery, storage battery, or secondary cell (formally a type of energy accumulator), is a type of electrical battery which can be charged, discharged into a load, and recharged many times, as opposed to a disposable or prima ...
**
Nickel–cadmium cell
**
Lithium-ion cell
**
Nickel–metal hydride cell
See also
*
List of battery sizes
This is a list of the sizes, shapes, and general characteristics of some common primary and secondary battery types in household, automotive and light industrial use.
The complete nomenclature for a battery specifies size, chemistry, termina ...
*
List of battery types
This list is a summary of notable electric battery types composed of one or more electrochemical cells. Three lists are provided in the table. The primary (non-rechargeable) and secondary (rechargeable) cell lists are lists of battery chemistry. ...
*
Rechargeable battery
*
Wet cell
An electric battery is a source of electric power consisting of one or more electrochemical cells with external connections for powering electrical devices.
When a battery is supplying power, its positive terminal is the cathode and its negat ...
References
{{Authority control
Electrochemistry
Dry cell batteries