Who Invented Batteries?

Alessandro Volta, an Italian scientist, made the world’s first battery in 1880. It was primitive and heavy as per today’s standards but for years it was the only device which could produce electricity from chemicals. The battery invented by the Italian scientist was named ‘Voltaic cell’. Fuel cells, speculated as the future of battery technology, were first explained by a German scientist Christian Friedrich Schönbein in 1838. William Robert Grove, a Welsh lawyer, made the first working model of a fuel cell in the following year.

Archeologists digging in Baghdad in 1936 stumbled upon a set of terracotta jars, the purpose of which could have been to produce electricity but there is no credible evidence yet. After Volta’s discovery, the next step was taken by John Frederic Daniell, a British chemist. He came up with the Daniell cell in 1836; thirty six years later, Volta made the first battery. Just three years later, William Robert Grove (the person who made the first fuel cell) made the Grove cell in 1839. Although, each was better than the previous one, they all had one big problem – they could not be used again.

Gaston Planté, a French physicist, solved the problem when he invented the lead-acid battery in 1859. It may be the most widely used batteries in the world. Modern lead-acid batteries are primarily used in automobiles and along with inventors. Nickel-cadmium batteries, lithium-lithium ion etc are also rechargeable batteries. They are lighter and smaller. These qualities make them good for use in watches, mobile phones etc. There are attempts to create batteries which are still smaller and more powerful but they are still under development. In fact, there hasn’t been much research done (relatively speaking) to improve battery technology; it remains to be seen what the future holds.

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