1.5 Volt battery teardown for carbon electrode and ion exchange membrane

Nafion is a remarkable material that allows the conduction of protons but not electrons. It is extremely expensive, however. Here we investigate if the cheap ion exchange membrane commonly found in batteries can do the job. To get at it we have to cut through this sturdy Duracell battery

Lets start from the start!

Do you actually honestly know how a battery works? If a child asked you, could you give a satisfactory answer, beyond some waffle about chemicals causing electrons to flow? A curious human would soon ask: why do the electrons flow? And why don’t they just short-circuit inside the battery, if they have this ability to flow? And worst of all - why is it that ions can flow, but electrons can’t?!