Difference Between Cell and Battery

Cell vs Battery
 

As various means of producing electricity were discovered, human life became more convenient. With the invention of the battery, lot of other products came into the market.

Battery

Batteries are important for producing power. Battery is one or more electrochemical cells. In batteries, chemical energy is stored, and it is then converted to electrical energy. The concept of the battery was invented by Alessandro Volta in 1800. Batteries are everyday needed household necessities. Although most of the equipments are now directly working with the electricity, many other small or portable devices need batteries. For example, alarm clocks, remote controllers, toys, torches, digital cameras, radios are working with the current supplied by a battery. Using batteries are safer than using main electricity directly.

There are many batteries under various brand names in the market today. Except the brand names, these batteries can be divided into two types according to the chemistry of generating electricity. They are alkaline and lithium batteries. The usual voltage for an alkaline battery is 1.5 V and voltage can be increased by having a series of batteries. There are different sizes of the battery (AA, AA-, AAA, etc.) and the current produced by the battery depends on the size. For example, AA battery produces 700 mA current. Now there are rechargeable alkaline batteries also. Lithium batteries produce voltage 1.5 V or more than that depending on the design. These should be disposed after using and cannot be recharged. Lithium batteries are used in small devices like watches, calculators, car remotes. Further, they can be used in powerful, large devices like digital cameras. Other than this categorization, batteries can be divided into two as disposable batteries and rechargeable batteries.

Cell

A cell produces electricity by means of a chemical process. There are many types of electrochemical cells as galvanic cells, electrolytic cells, fuel cells and flow cells. A cell is a combination of a reducing and oxidizing agent, which is physically separated from each other. Usually separation is done by a salt bridge. Although they are physically separated, both half-cells are in chemical contact with each other. Electrolytic and galvanic cells are two types of electrochemical cells. In both electrolytic and galvanic cells, oxidation-reduction reactions are taking place. Therefore, basically, in an electrochemical cell there are two electrodes called an anode and a cathode. Both electrodes are externally connected with a high resistant voltmeter; therefore, current will not be transmitting between the electrodes. This voltmeter helps to maintain a certain voltage between the electrodes where oxidation reactions takes place. Oxidation reaction takes place on the anode, and the reduction reaction takes place on the cathode. Electrodes are immersed in separate electrolyte solutions. Normally, these solutions are ionic solutions related to the type of electrode. For example, copper electrodes are immersed in copper sulfate solutions and silver electrodes are immersed in silver chloride solution. These solutions are different; hence, they have to be separated. The most common way to separate them is a salt bridge. In an electrochemical cell, the potential energy of the cell is converted to an electrical current.