Instructor Information Aluminum–Air Battery（导师信息Aluminum-Air电池）.pdfVIP

Instructor Information JCE Classroom Activity: #93 Aluminum–Air Battery Modesto Tamez and Julie H. Yu* Exploratorium Teacher Institute, 3601 Lyon St., San Francisco, CA 94123; *jyu@ In this Activity, students construct a simple battery from aluminum foil, saltwater, and activated charcoal. The battery can power a small motor or light. Background Homemade batteries are an inexpensive, practical, and hands-on way to teach oxidation and reduction reactions. A popular battery can be made out of a lemon and two metal electrodes, but a single lemon cell rarely produces enough current to power an actual device (1). Students must construct several cells in series or monitor readings on a multimeter in order to visualize battery performance (2). A simple aluminum–air battery can generate 1 V and 100 mA, which is enough power t to run a small electrical device or light. While the voltage is comparable to a traditional lemon cell, the current can be up to u 400 times greater than what is generated in a typical classroom activity (1). This battery relies on oxidation of aluminum at o r the anode and reduction of oxygen at the cathode to generate electrical energy. A diagram of the battery and equations for a T h e t the half and overall reactions are given below. i d