Effect of Electrolyte Concentration on the Performance of Batteries

Abstract

This project is geared towards the design of a greener battery. The current battery design consists of Copper and Zinc electrodes with an electrolyte composition of Copper Sulfate (CuSO4), Zinc Nitrate (Zn(NO3)2), and Potassium Chloride (KCl). The performance of the battery with Copper Sulfate and Potassium Chloride was comparable to the performance of the battery with Zinc Nitrate, as such we eliminated use of Zinc Nitrate. Next we attempted to replace Potassium Chloride with a greener solute Sodium Chloride (NaCl), common table salt. We optimized the concentration of NaCl in our batteries. Batteries with optimized concentration of NaCl resulted in significantly higher power density. Our final product – a greener battery, now consists of Zinc and Copper rods with Copper Sulfate and Sodium Chloride as the electrolyte.