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Batteries are among the most widely used household items. These products are used in mobile phones, cordless phones, flashlights, laptops, cameras, iPods, portable music and DVD players, watches, automobiles and much more. The type of battery used differs from product to product, since batteries are available in different types and have varied applications.

Batteries contain two or more electrochemical cells connected in series or a parallel line and store chemical energy. These cells consist of a negative electrode (anode) and a positive electrode (cathode), a separator and an ion conductor, and an electrolyte for producing ions. When connected to an external device that needs to be powered, a chemical reaction takes place. During this reaction, the negative electrode supplies a current of electrons that carry electrical energy through the device and reach the positive electrode. This produces electricity and so the reaction is called an electrochemical reaction.

In the past, scientists such as Benjamin Franklin, Luiqi Galvani, John F. Daniel and William Robert Grove experimented with silver, copper and zinc plates to produce electricity. However, none of them were as successful as Alessandro Volta who discovered the first practical method of generating electricity with a wet cell battery and the voltaic pile (named after him).

Primary batteries or single-use batteries are the ones that can be used only once and then they have to be discarded. These batteries are also termed disposable batteries. AA batteries, AAA batteries and pencil batteries are disposable batteries. They are mostly made of silver-zinc, zinc-carbon, alkaline or mercury. Watches, flashlights and walkmans often use primary batteries for operation.

Rechargeable batteries, unlike single-use batteries, can be used over and over again. Also known as storage batteries, rechargeable batteries allow electrodes to be reconstituted by passing electricity through them. In this way they can be reused after being recharged with a battery charger. Rechargeable batteries come with a long shelf life. One rechargeable battery can substitute hundreds of primary batteries.

The most common types of rechargeable batteries are nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, lithium ion batteries, lead-acid batteries and rechargeable alkaline batteries. PDAs, notebook computers, mobile phones, automobiles, bikes, portable music and video players, iPods, cordless phones and lots of other products use rechargeable batteries.

Cells are another form of batteries. They are small and round, and are mostly used in wrist watches. Batteries of all sorts are available in shops as well as online stores.