Daniell Cell

The Daniell cell is an electrochemical battery invented in 1836 by the British chemist and meteorologist John Frederic Daniell to solve the hydrogen-bubble buildup that shortened the life of the earlier voltaic pile. It consists of a copper container holding a copper sulfate solution, inside which sits a porous earthenware pot containing a zinc electrode in sulfuric acid or zinc sulfate solution; the porous barrier lets ions pass between the two solutions while keeping them from mixing, which stops the hydrogen gas from accumulating at the electrode and degrading the current. The cell proved markedly more reliable and longer-lasting than earlier designs and became the standard power source for 19th-century telegraph networks, a role it held until the Leclanche cell superseded it. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/