I saw in an ad from a foreign store a device that recharges ordinary batteries. He claims that he does no miracles, only reactivates the remaining substances in the stack that then still provide energy. Is it true that this works?
Ordinary batteries (dry and alkaline) cannot be recharged because the process by which they supply power is an irreversible chemical reaction. However, what happens is that in many applications, especially those of high consumption, the battery suffers a sharp drop in performance at the end of its life because it is unable to absorb the gases that form inside it. These batteries can still be used for some time under two conditions. The first is by letting them rest for some time so that the gases that form inside them are absorbed. As a result, the remaining reagent may act for some time. Many do this by leaving the battery in the fridge. In fact, it's not the cold that does the work, but the weather. And even better to leave out, because under higher temperature the depolarizing are faster. The other way is through a small electrical stimulus, which consists of passing a current through the battery. This is exactly what the device does. It does not recharge, it only circulates a current through the batteries to aid the recovery of the electrolyte and thus enable the batteries to function for some time. However, care must be taken when doing so as an intense current heats the battery and may cause it to explode. The current must be weak. We have already published an article called Battery Rejuvenator in which we teach how to assemble a font for this purpose.
