Secondary Cells

Secondary cells can be recharged because the chemical action is reversible. When it supplies current to a load resistance, the cell is discharging, as the current tends to neutralize the separated charges at the electrodes.  For the opposite case, the current can be reversed to re-form the electrodes as the chemical action is reversed.  This action is charging the cell.  The charging current must be supplied by an external dc voltage source, with the cell serving just as a load resistance.  The discharging and recharging is called cycling of the cell.  Since a secondary cell can be recharged, it is also called a storage cell. The most common type is the lead-acid cell generally used in automotive batteries. In below figure you can see typical Secondary or Rechargeable Cell and in Table Different Types of Secondary Cells.

Secondary Cells and Open Circuit Voltages

Tip: open circuit V is the terminal voltage without a load

Cell Name	Type	Open Circuit Voltages Vdc
Lead-acid	Secondary cell	2.1
Nickel-cadmium	Secondary cell	1.25
Nickel-iron ( Edison cell)	Secondary cell	1.2
Silver-zinc	Secondary cell	1.5
Silver-cadmium	Secondary cell	1.1

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