Carl Gassner is the inventor of the first commercially successful dry cell battery. It was in 1887 when Gassner patented the first dry cell that uses zinc as the container, which at the same time acts as the negative electrode. Gassner’s invention was a huge commercial success and became the prototype for the dry cell industry.
Carl Gassner
Life as a Scientist
Carl Gassner was born on November 17, 1855 in Mainz, Germany. As a physician, scientist and inventor, his life was truly filled with success and fame. He earned his degree in medicine at the University of Strasbourg in Mainz. In the years after his studies, he became well-known for performing several scientific tests and experiments. It was in 1885 when Gassner was put into the limelight when he started doing improvements in the Leclanché cell, the battery used to power door bells at that time. He first used gypsum as a porous binder that holds the aqueous chemicals in the said battery.
In 1886, he began his invention by further improving the features of the dry cell battery. He patented his invention in Germany and other European countries that same year. On November 15, 1887, he patented it in the United States. In 1890, Gassner earned both recognition and gold marks when he received an order of 100,000 batteries from the administration of empire station in Erfurt, Germany.
About His Invention
The first dry cell battery invented by Carl Gassner consisted of zinc that served both as the outer container and negative electrode. At the centre was a carbon rod immersed in manganese dioxide that served as the positive electrode. A solution of ammonium chloride was used as the electrolyte. A folded paper sack was used as the separator between the electrolyte and zinc anode. It was observed that during discharge, the zinc container was gradually consumed by the chemical reaction. Part of Gassner’s improvement on his dry cell was the addition of zinc chloride to the electrolyte thereby reducing the zinc’s corrosion and prolonging the cell’s life.
Today, zinc-carbon general purpose primary batteries are commercially available on the market. Design and features of such batteries are based from Carl Gassner’s invention.
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