NAME- SHIVENDRA TIWARI

CLASS- XII ‘D’

SCHOOL- ARMY PUBLIC SCHOOL ,
NEHRU ROAD, LKO

CHEMISTRY INVESTIGATORY FILE

TOPIC-
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
WHAT IS A ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL?

An electrochemical cell is a device capable of

either generating electrical energy from chemical
reactions or using electrical energy to cause
chemical reactions. The electrochemical cells
which generate an electric current are called
voltaic cells or galvanic cells and those that
generate chemical reactions, via electrolysis for
example, are called electrolytic cells. A common
example of a galvanic cell is a standard 1.5 volt
cell meant for consumer use. A battery consists
of one or more cells, connected either in parallel,
series or series-and-parallel pattern.
ELECTROLYTIC CELL

An electrolytic cell is an electrochemical cell that

drives a non-spontaneous redox reaction through the
application of electrical energy. They are often used
to decompose chemical compounds, in a process
called electrolysis.

Important examples of electrolysis are the

decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen,
and bauxite into aluminium and other chemicals.
Electroplating is done using an electrolytic cell.
Electrolysis is a technique that uses a direct electric
current (DC).

An electrolytic cell has three component parts: an

electrolyte and two electrodes (a cathode and an
anode). The electrolyte is usually a solution of water
or other solvents in which ions are dissolved. Molten
salts such as sodium chloride are also electrolytes.
When driven by an external voltage applied to the
electrodes, the ions in the electrolyte are attracted to
an electrode with the opposite charge, where charge-
transferring (redox) reactions can take place.

GALVANIC CELL OR VOLTAIC CELL-

A galvanic cell, or voltaic cell, is an electrochemical

cell that derives electrical energy from spontaneous
redox reactions taking place within the cell. It
generally consists of two different metals connected
by a salt bridge, or individual half-cells separated by a
porous membrane.
PRIMARY CELL-

A primary cell is a Galvanic battery that is designed to

be used once and discarded, and not recharged with
electricity and reused like a secondary cell
(rechargeable battery). In general, the
electrochemical reaction occurring in the cell is not
reversible, rendering the cell unrechargeable. As a
primary cell is used, chemical reactions in the battery
use up the chemicals that generate the power; when
they are gone, the battery stops producing electricity
and is useless. In contrast, in a secondary cell, the
reaction can be reversed by running a current into the
cell with a battery charger to recharge it, regenerating
the chemical reactants. Primary cells are made in a
range of standard sizes to power small household
appliances such as flashlights and portable radios.

Primary batteries make up about 90% of the $50

billion battery market, but secondary batteries have
been gaining market share. About 15 billion primary
batteries are thrown away worldwide every year,
virtually all ending up in landfills. Due to the toxic
heavy metals and strong acids or alkalis they contain,
batteries are hazardous waste. Most municipalities
classify them as such and require separate disposal.
The energy needed to manufacture a battery is about
50 times greater than the energy it contains. Due to
their high pollutant content compared to their small
energy content, the primary battery is considered a
wasteful, environmentally unfriendly technology. Due
mainly to increasing sales of wireless devices and
cordless tools which cannot be economically powered
by primary batteries and come with integral
rechargeable batteries, the secondary battery
industry has high growth and has slowly been
replacing the primary battery in high end products.
SECONDARY CELL-

A secondary cell, commonly referred to as a

rechargeable battery is an electrochemical cell that
can be run as both a galvanic cell or as an electrolytic
cell. This is used as a convenient way to store
electricity, when current flows one way the levels of
one or more chemicals build up (charging), while it is
discharging they reduce and the resulting
electromotive force can do work.
FUEL CELL-

A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the

chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through
an electrochemical reaction of hydrogen fuel with
oxygen or another oxidizing agent. Fuel cells are
different from batteries in requiring a continuous
source of fuel and oxygen (usually from air) to sustain
the chemical reaction, whereas in a battery the
chemical energy comes from chemicals already
present in the battery. Fuel cells can produce
electricity continuously for as long as fuel and oxygen
are supplied.

The first fuel cells were invented in 1838. The first

commercial use of fuel cells came more than a
century later in NASA space programmes to generate
power for satellites and space capsules. Since then,
fuel cells have been used in many other applications.
Fuel cells are used for primary and backup power for
commercial, industrial and residential buildings and in
remote or inaccessible areas. They are also used to
power fuel cell vehicles, including forklifts,
automobiles, buses, boats, motorcycles and
submarines.
There are many types of fuel cells, but they all consist
of an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte that allows
positively charged hydrogen ions (protons) to move
between the two sides of the fuel cell. At the anode a
catalyst causes the fuel to undergo oxidation
reactions that generate protons (positively charged
hydrogen ions) and electrons. The protons flow from
the anode to the cathode through the electrolyte
after the reaction. At the same time, electrons are
drawn from the anode to the cathode through an
external circuit, producing direct current electricity.
At the cathode, another catalyst causes hydrogen
ions, electrons, and oxygen to react, forming water.
Fuel cells are classified by the type of electrolyte they
use and by the difference in start up time ranging
from 1 second for proton exchange membrane fuel
cells (PEM fuel cells, or PEMFC) to 10 minutes for solid
oxide fuel cells (SOFC). A related technology is flow
batteries, in which the fuel can be regenerated by
recharging. Individual fuel cells produce relatively
small electrical potentials, about 0.7 volts, so cells are
"stacked", or placed in series, to create sufficient
voltage to meet an application's requirements. In
addition to electricity, fuel cells produce water, heat
and, depending on the fuel source, very small
amounts of nitrogen dioxide and other emissions. The
energy efficiency of a fuel cell is generally between
40–60%; however, if waste heat is captured in a
cogeneration scheme, efficiencies up to 85% can be
obtained.