Another project I have been working on, which related to alternative energy is the nickel iron battery. Nickel iron batteries are really awesome rechargeable batteries, that were invented by Thomas Edison; for use in early electric cars. Edison's batteries are not well known, because after the auto industry fully embraced the combustion engine; Edison's batteries received little notoriety. They are however, truly amazing inventions and in some aspects, still outperform modern batteries of today. Their biggest attribute, is their amazing long life. Original batteries built by Edison's factory are still functioning perfectly well today. The main difference compared to the batteries of today was that the active ingredients,(nickel and iron oxide) do not dissolve or break down from contact with their electrolyte. Which means that the chemical reactions are reversible without degrading the electrode material.
Anyways, hardly any research has been done to find ways to improve upon Edison's original design, not that it needs much improvement. The main drawback is their energy to weight ratio, is still on the heavy side. Being comparable to lead acid batteries used in cars. So I have been experiment with different variations to Edison's design, to see what I can find out. Chemistry is new to me, so progress is slow but at least I managed to build functional batteries which is a start.
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