Baghdad energy storage lithium battery

What is a Baghdad Battery?

Electrochemical storage technologies are essential to modern life, fueling everything from smartphones to sustainable transportation. Yet, the roots of this technology extend deep into antiquity, far beyond today’s lithium-ion marvels. The so-called Baghdad Battery is among the most mysterious artifacts in the annals of ancient technology.

What was the Baghdad battery made of?

The Baghdad battery was a kind of primary voltaic cell with a copper compartment and a pointed iron rod. During Parthian period (248 BC), a battery was been used and later stored in Baghdad Museum. Wilhelm Konig investigated the details of this battery and was termed as “Baghdad battery.”

Are lithium iodide batteries rechargeable?

Lithium iodide batteries are impossible for recharging. These batteries are included in the primary energy storage devices, hence are not rechargeable. The lithium iodine primary battery was introduced in 1972, by Moser patenting the first solid state energy storage device.

When was the Baghdad Battery discovered?

The debate continues, as does the quest to unlock the secrets of our electrochemical past. The Baghdad Battery was discovered in 1936 at Khujut Rabu, near Baghdad, Iraq, not far from the historical metropolis of Ctesiphon, the capital city during both the Parthian (150 BC – 223 AD) and Sasanian (224–650 AD) empires.

What are some other energy storage devices based on lithium?

Several other energy storage devices based on lithium other than normal LIB are being explored recently such as lithium iodide battery, lithium air battery, lithium sulfur battery. Lithium iodide batteries are the major energy storage for implants such as pacemakers.

What type of electrolyte did the Baghdad Battery use?

This famous primary battery used brine (solutions of table salt or sodium chloride in water) as the electrolyte and operated on the same galvanic principles as the Baghdad battery. In this case, zinc corroded (oxidised) as the anode under the influence of copper as the cathode.