Nickel Cadmium Battery

A Nickel-Cadmium battery is a type of rechargeable battery that is often used instead of other common rechargeable batteries, such as Lithium-Ion batteries and Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries. Nickel-Cadmium batteries were once the most popular type of rechargeable battery, but have battled with other rechargeable batteries over the years concerning price and applications due to the high cost of cadmium and its potential health hazards. Nickel-Cadmium batteries now sell for about the same price as other types of rechargeable batteries, but are widely used for different purposes. While other types of rechargeable batteries, such as Lithium Ion, are used in electronics that are used on a daily basis, Nickel-Cadmium batteries are preferred in devices that are used for a long period of time.

How Nickel-Cadmium Batteries Work

Nickel-Cadmium batteries in essentially the same way that other rechargeable batteries do: while a normal battery allows a flow of ions to travel from the negative terminal to the positive terminal in a one-way process, rechargeable batteries use a charging unit to apply a higher voltage to the ions than the battery produces, causing the ions to flow back from the positive terminal to the negative terminal. The difference between Nickel-Cadmium batteries and other rechargeable batteries is that Nickel-Cadmium batteries use a nickel-based positive terminal and a cadmium-based negative terminal, which create a variety of different qualities compared to other rechargeable batteries.

Applications

Nickel-Cadmium batteries can be used in as many diverse applications as other rechargeable batteries, but are usually reserved for specific situations. For example, small Nickel-Cadmium batteries are used in everyday electronics, such as digital cameras, media players, and flashlights. However, larger Nickel-Cadmium batteries are used in electronic vehicles, airplane starters, and backup generators.