Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 78 | Page 19

LATEST INTELLIGENCE or a combination of both to achieve whatever volt age and current is required for a given application . This simple description applies to both lead acid and lithium-ion batteries . Every battery contains a cathode ( positive ) and an anode ( negative ) that are suspended in an electrolyte . Electrolyte acts as a catalyst for the electrochemical reaction which results in charging and discharging as ions flow from one electrode to the other . It also prevents electrons built up on the anode from flowing back to the cathode within the battery itself when no load is attached . The chemical reaction results in a potential difference in charge ( i . e ., voltage ) between the cathode and anode as electrons build up on the anode . By connecting a load with a wire to the battery ’ s terminals , current flow is induced which discharges the battery as electrons flow ( i . e ., current ) from the anode ( negative terminal ) to the load and then to the cathode ( positive terminal ). The chemistry of the battery changes as this ion flow occurs until no more electrons can be supplied to the anode which results in a discharged battery . The battery can be recharged by using an external power source to reverse the flow of electrons through the electrolyte from the cathode to the anode . p
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