Question: If you made different bateries what would they be called and would they still be made from the same material?

Craig Fisher answered on 26 Jan 2017:

Many different types of batteries using different types of materials have been used over the years, and as Saiful mentioned in his lectures, the search for better materials continues today. Broadly speaking, these batteries can be classified into two classes: primary batteries and secondary batteries. Primary batteries are non-rechargeable, while secondary batteries are rechargeable.

Normally the name of a battery type, whether primary or secondary, comes from the key materials it contains, although in the case of lithium-ion batteries it is the charge carrying species, namely lithium ions.

Examples of primary batteries include alkaline (after its potassium hydroxide electrolyte, which is an alkali), zinc-carbon (after the two electrode materials; also known as a Leclanche cell after its inventor), and zinc-chloride (often called “heavy-duty” or “extra-heavy-duty”, in which the ammonium chloride electrolyte of the zinc-carbon cell is replaced with zinc chloride).

Secondary batteries include lead-acid (which uses a reaction between metallic lead and sulphuric acid), “Nicad” (from nickel-cadmium, the metals in the electrodes), nickel-metal-hydride or NiMH (in which the cadmium electrode in Nicads is replaced with a metal alloy that reacts with water to form a hydride), and lithium-ion (the type most likely powering your smartphone, camera or laptop).

Because they produce less waste over their lifetime, secondary batteries are becoming more and more popular, and for large applications where you can’t afford to be throwing the battery away they are indispensable. To make better batteries than those we already have we need to find new materials that are cheaper, safer and faster charging. The new batteries that Saiful and other researchers are working on include sodium-ion, lithium-sulfur, and lithium-air. Who knows, maybe you will see some of these batteries powering your family car or storing electricity from the local wind farm in the near future!