History of Battery Technology
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ca. 250 B.C.: The “Parthian Battery” is created (rediscovered near Baghdad in 1936). Instead of energy storage, it is likely used to electroplate metals. 1800: Count Alessandro Volta invents the “voltaic pile,” consisting of copper zinc discs separated by cardboard discs soaked in acid. 1836: The Daniell cell is invented, supplying a steady, longer-lasting current. 1859: Gaston Planté creates the first rechargeable lead-acid battery. 1899: Waldemar Jungner, a Swedish scientist, patents the nickel-cadmium rechargeable battery with twice the energy density of the lead-acid battery. 1949: The alkaline-manganese battery is invented by Lewis Urry at Eveready Battery Co. 1965: The first surface acoustic wave-generating devices (SAWs) are created. 1980: At Oxford University, Professor John Goodenough creates the first Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, using both lithium cobalt oxide and lithium manganese dioxide cathodes. 1981: Quantum dots are discovered in a glass matrix at the State Optical Institute in Russia. 1991: Sony commercializes the lithium cobalt oxide version of the Li-ion battery. 2000–present: Safety recalls include millions of laptops and smartphones due to Li-ion battery explosions. The FAA grounds all Boeing Dreamliners due to Li-ion battery malfunctions. 2015: Researchers at Hunan University grow zinc oxide nanorods on carbon cloth, with promising applications for anodes in Li-ion batteries. 2015: At Vanderbilt University, researchers test an anode made of iron pyrite quantum dots. 2015: Tesla unveils its Powerwall, which uses lithium-ion batteries to store energy for homes and businesses. 2017: An ExploraVision team creates qSafe, the battery of the future. |
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