Ibpointless2 Crystal Cells

[jbignes5]

 Ok, I wish I had a better camera for the results of one of my Modified IB cells. My version was of a folded heavy aluminum foil in the shape of a open ended tray. So I could cook the stuff in a pan and then add the graphite lead into the mix after it had cooked for a bit. The two electrodes were the Aluminum tray and graphite lead. They started out well until there was little water in the cell to do the galvanic reaction.


I just dissected the cell to find a very strange occurring galvanic reaction had happened there. Instead of the usual black galvanic response the aluminum seemed to be eaten and consumed but not burnt. Etched might be a better word for it. The spots that were touching the aluminum looks to have been incorporated into the crystal structure that was being made at the closest connection between the aluminum and the crystal structure mix. The crystals that are forming seem to have this aluminum inside of their structure and have a grey tint to them.


I'll try to get a photo of this but my camera hates close ups.

*edit* Upon further looking at this process we just might want a galvanic reaction here. It seems to be doping the crystalline structure and a much different crystal is forming both physically and electrically. I am thinking in the beginning we want a galvanic reaction to disassemble the aluminum and incorporate it into it's structure. Maybe aluminum powder mixed into the mix might facilitate better growth into the crystals that form.

Is the salt substitute responsible for the galvanic response or the alum I am thinking of making a cell that has many many layers of aluminum + the salt substitute and alum with some borax thrown in for structure building. If I could get a more even response from the galvanic portion I might get a better mix of the aluminum into the crystals that are forming.

[hartiberlin]

Hi
jbignes5.

what is exactly your salt mix ?

Maybe before you use this aluminium foil,
just treat it in an electrolysis bath as the plus pole
( so it gets oxygen) and builds up a good protective oxide layer.
Then use only very few salt mix, so the distance between
graphite rod surface and the alufoil is under 1 mm.

Also you could try to dope the salt mix with additional graphite or lampblack powder
to make it more conductive.

A battery is like an electron pump, so the electrons have to move also from one electrode to the other internally
inside the battery, so you need also electrical  conduction for this !

Regards, Stefan.

[ibpointless2]

@hartiberlin


Have you been able to make the crystal glue cell? Its simple to make. All you need is Elmer's glue, salt substitute, and Epsom salt. Allow the mix to fully dry then either spray paint it or use liquid plastic that B-rads shows in his video so that the cell can be protected. Here's a video on how to make a cell, Its best to use copper and magnesium for the electrodes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ngFfU1hHyM


This cell can recharge itself back to original voltage, this is very unique effect to see. It is very important that the cell fully dries out and once fully dry it must be encased so it can be protected from the environment.

[jbignes5]

Hi
jbignes5.

what is exactly your salt mix ?

Maybe before you use this aluminium foil,
just treat it in an electrolysis bath as the plus pole
( so it gets oxygen) and builds up a good protective oxide layer.
Then use only very few salt mix, so the distance between
graphite rod surface and the alufoil is under 1 mm.

Also you could try to dope the salt mix with additional graphite or lampblack powder
to make it more conductive.

A battery is like an electron pump, so the electrons have to move also from one electrode to the other internally
inside the battery, so you need also electrical  conduction for this !

Regards, Stefan.

Borax, salt substitute, alum and a tad bit of epsom salts for the water it contains already. as the borax seems to protect the aluminum to a degree we need the aluminum to slowly decompose and join with the crystals. That is the conductive material besides salts it seems. My new test is with the same mix used in a borax protected inner coil of the aluminum. The outside is dribbled with the mix of what I specified above. I want a galvanic action going here to dope the crystal growth around the center graphite electrode with aluminum. This I assume forms little diode like crystal formations that form all the way through the mix. Like I said if I can get a hold of some aluminum power It might work easier.
We will see. Test started today so it will take a week to get it to decompose the aluminum and form a crystal from that.

[hartiberlin]

P.S: The optimal cell will be a cell with just graphite ( or lampblack-paper) electrodes and
a salt mix between it.
Then we have no metals that will be abale to corrode.

I made a quick test for this a few months ago and got 0.35 Volts from
a cell having graphite paper as one electrode, table-saltwater as the elctrolyte
and the other electrode was composed out of a paste of lampblack  and
TiO2 put on a glas plate and heated and dried up via a candle .

So there was no metal in it that could corrode.
I will need to test this again, cause I did it in a hurry and did not
measure the short circuit current at this time and then the glas plate went broke,
so I have to redo this test soon.

This must be researched also with the Epsom Salt and Borax mixes, that
the others have been trying now here.

Also the Youtube user diveflyfish
has shown here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgMraWxlSoY
and here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1E45bMV9KY

It is just 2 graphite plates with a mix of
MOLTEN Zn0, EPSOMS, SILCA GEL, doped with GALINA, IRON PYRITE
between it.

So you see, it is possible to substitute the metals completely
with graphite ( lampblack) as the electrodes and thus
there will be no corrosion at all !

If we stack enough cells in series then we will also get enough power to
power a few LEDs already.

Regards, Stefan.