Make: Volume 91

1+2+3

Beverage

Battery

58 makezine.com

RECHARGE WITH

ELECTROLYTES!

TED DONNELL

followed his passion

for chemistry from

graduate school

to Pasadena City

College, where he

teaches General

Chemistry and

advises the

Chemistry Club.

Outside the

classroom, he enjoys

board games and

making models.

Written and photographed by Ted Donnell

B

atteries all work under the same principles:

a voltage difference between a pair of

chemical reactions passes electrons out, through

the wire, for use driving our devices. All batteries

contain three components: two electrodes called

the anode and cathode, and the electrolyte. To

investigate these, we’ll look at a simpl ...