Battery hacks
Hi all.
Has anyone here tried to DIY their own rechargeable batteries?
This covers:- buying "dead" packs on Ebay and reviving them, as well as scratch building cells.
I've heard that making lead acids is feasible but my latest research is into perfecting the calcium ion cell.
The plan here is to use calcium carbide, a known high energy compound familiar to cavers for lighting and convert it into a two stage electrochemical storage medium using intercalated graphite and iron phosphate.
The cell would consist of a CaC/C mix as the anode and FePO4 as the cathode which would then form the ion shuttle as in LiFePO4 technology.
It occurs to me that an electrolyte consisting of acetone and a few stabilisers would hold the acetylene stable until the cell is discharged; in its fully discharged state it would be essentially inert.
As the entire cell is anhydrous the reaction should be fully reversible and long term stable.
Acetone also happens to be relatively inexpensive though somewhat flammable but no more so than any other electrolyte commonly in use.
It has some useful properties such as dissolving acetylene so the cell would need to be minimally pressurised and in fact be ideal for high drain applications if failsafes are used.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
