batteries

[deleted-29876]

hi there

i am currently preparing my project for science fair National finals in south africa, which will take place on the 2 and 3 of october this year.

i have design my own battery using sodium chloride and the hydrogen peroxide catalyst so i want to know things that i should measure out of the battery in order for it to professional designed, i just did it without putting any measurements.

my problem is i don't know what to measure
and what is the chemical formula of the solution of my battery?
can the battery be secondary?

On the report should i write display the background info?

[deleted-71417]

Hi,

I did not find a Science Buddies Project that seems related to your project statement. I did find a US Patent that seems to fit your description, which includes a statement regarding the chemistry of it:

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5445905.html

I suggest you try to read the patent all the way through to the end to see how well it matches your project.

I also found these project descriptions that might be close to you project:

http://www.miniscience.com/link/Airbattery.htm

http://sci-toys.com/scitoys/scitoys/ech ... eries.html

You asked what parameters to measure about your battery. You should consider measuring the voltage produced by the battery, also how much current will it produce. Many people are concerned about the power density generated by batteries (how many watt-hours of energy can be generated by the battery per unit weight of the battery)

Your post suggested to me that you might find the Science Buddies Project Guide useful, as ot describes how to perform and present a good science fair project. Here is the link to it:http:

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... l?From=Tab

Best wishes for a great science fair ex[erience!

Barrett Tomlinson

[deleted-71588]

my problem is i don't know what to measure

The most common electrical specifications of batteries include the open circuit voltage, A-Hr or Ma-Hr (how much energy can the battery produce), and some sample family of current draw voltage vs time curves. In other words, if you draw x amount of current, the voltage over time will look like some curve that will decrease with time. The various currents chosen are a range appropriate for different loads the battery is designed to operate.

and what is the chemical formula of the solution of my battery?

I'm not sure what "solution" you are referring to as the word "solution" could be interpreted several different ways. The more interesting chemical formula would be a chemical reaction formula. I can't help you with the complete chemical reaction formula because you didn't tell me what the chemical formula for your electrodes. Any formula involved would have the sodium chloride NaCl and hydrogen peroxide H2O2 (sometimes written as H-O-O-H) and the cathode and anode in it along with one or more electrons. Since you state that the hydrogen peroxide is a catalyst (something that isn't transformed in the chemical reaction), it will show up on both sides of the reaction equation unchanged. The NaCl solution will ionize and is considered your electrolyte and the Na+ ion will react with the anode and acquire an electron from the external circuit path and the Cl- ion will react with the cathode and free an electron into the external circuit path.

can the battery be secondary?

I don't understand this question as "secondary" can have several meanings and it isn't clear to me what meaning might apply in this context.

[deleted-29876]

my problem is i don't know what to measure

The most common electrical specifications of batteries include the open circuit voltage, A-Hr or Ma-Hr (how much energy can the battery produce), and some sample family of current draw voltage vs time curves. In other words, if you draw x amount of current, the voltage over time will look like some curve that will decrease with time. The various currents chosen are a range appropriate for different loads the battery is designed to operate.

and what is the chemical formula of the solution of my battery?

I'm not sure what "solution" you are referring to as the word "solution" could be interpreted several different ways. The more interesting chemical formula would be a chemical reaction formula. I can't help you with the complete chemical reaction formula because you didn't tell me what the chemical formula for your electrodes. Any formula involved would have the sodium chloride NaCl and hydrogen peroxide H2O2 (sometimes written as H-O-O-H) and the cathode and anode in it along with one or more electrons. Since you state that the hydrogen peroxide is a catalyst (something that isn't transformed in the chemical reaction), it will show up on both sides of the reaction equation unchanged. The NaCl solution will ionize and is considered your electrolyte and the Na+ ion will react with the anode and acquire an electron from the external circuit path and the Cl- ion will react with the cathode and free an electron into the external circuit path.

can the battery be secondary?

I don't understand this question as "secondary" can have several meanings and it isn't clear to me what meaning might apply in this context.

can the battery secondary

in this case i want to know if it can be under secondary batteries or primary batteries, because we've got this two categories in batteries?

[deleted-71712]

"Primary" and "secondary" in the context of batteries usually refer to whether or not the battery is rechargeable. This corresponds to whether or not the chemical reactions involved can be reversed when a voltage (opposite that generated by the battery during use) is applied. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_%2 ... _batteries)

Without knowing exactly what reactions are taking place in the battery you built, it's difficult to say whether or not they are reversible. A possible reaction that would not be reversible is 2[H2O2] -> 2[H2O] + O2, because the oxygen gas would quickly leave the solution and diffuse into the air. (This happens at a slow rate even in a solution of just H2O2 and water.) There's a description of NaCl electrolysis in solution here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroche ... m_chloride), but I'm not sure what the hydrogen peroxide is doing in your system. Did you read about this type of battery somewhere? Is there a description of the reactions involved?

Amanda