A dry cell battery, as the name suggests, consists of electrolyte in the non-volatile form. In this ScienceStruck article, we explain to you the steps to make a dry cell battery using the simplest of the things.
Did You Know?
Coins can be used as a substitute to copper strips. However, newer coins are copper-plated and do not entirely contain this metal. Thus, in case these coins are to be used, they must be older than the ones developed in 1982.
The study of science depends on experimentation. Each scientific concept is backed up with a procedure that can validate its correctness. One such example is that of a dry cell battery. It can be made at home from the things available at hand. In the end, if the entire setup results in voltage generation, we can conclude that the battery works fine.
It is quite easy to create such cell batteries, as they are free from leakage and pose no threat to the environment. Read through to understand the detailed procedure for making dry cell batteries.
How to Make a Dry Cell Battery at Home
Steps to Make a Lemon Dry Cell Battery
Things you will need
Multimeter
Lemon
1 Strip of copper
1 Strip of Zinc
#1: Rub the zinc and copper strips with an emery paper to free it from any residues.
#2: Take a lemon (not too small) and twitch it forcefully. This allows the movement of its fluid within its structure.
#3: Slit the lemon by making two cuts, one each on every side. These cuts are made in order to insert the copper and zinc strips into them.
#4: Insert a zinc strip into one cut and a copper strip into the other.
#5: Connect the red multimeter probe to the zinc strip and the black probe to the copper strip. Check the value of voltage on the multimeter.
The multimeter will read a voltage value of at least 5 volts. This implies that the lemon along with the metal strips acts as a cell battery.
Steps for Making a Potato dry cell battery
Things you will need
Multimeter
Potato
Copper wires
2 Galvanized nails
2 Strips of copper
#1: Take a clean potato. Cut it into two halves. Place the two halves some distance apart on a plate, such that the cut part is incident on the plate. Name them as A and B.
#2: Slit cuts on the two sides of each half. For potato A, insert a galvanized nail into one slit, and a copper strip into the other. Similarly, insert the nail and copper strip into the other half ‘B’.
#3: Twine a copper wire to each of the two nails as well as the strips.
#4: The other end of the wire of copper strip of A should be connected to the nail of B.
#5: Connect the red probe of the multimeter to the nail of A and black probe of the multimeter to the strip of B.
The multimeter will read a voltage value of minimum 2 volts. This is a clear indication that potato along with the metal strip and nail acts as a cell battery.
Note:
➢ The copper strips used should have enough amount of copper to produce electrical energy. Same is the case with zinc strips too.
➢ In case of a lemon battery, lemon can be replaced by a tomato.
➢ These experiments must be performed under adult supervision.
➢ Do not consume the potato and lemon used in the experiments.
The trashing of the dry cell battery is quite easy. Most of them can be trashed along with the domestic wastes. However, improvisation is a must for recycling programs to prevent any waste hazards.