So my understanding is that an battery consists of a negatively charged part positively charged part and something in between them to allow electrical flow.
As far as I understand the electrons flow from the negative part to the positive part
The part I don’t understand is what the electrolyte in between is suppose to do?
In: Chemistry
The electrolyte contains ions that react with the materials of the positive and negative (anode and cathode) parts to produce the electrons that flow round the circuit.
Take a common alkaline battery. (Technically a cell, a battery is a group of single cells)
At the negative cathode, zinc metal reacts with hydroxide in the electrolyte turning it into zinc oxide together with water and releasing two electrons into the circuit.
When those two electrons make it back round to the positive anode they get absorbed by converting manganese dioxide (MnO2) and water to a lower oxide of manganese (Mn2O3) and regenerating the hydroxide ions.
Between them these chemical reactions generate 1.43 volts.
Other cells use different chemical reactions but they all depend basically on an oxidation/reduction pair of chemical reactions releasing electrons at the cathode and absorbing them at the anode mediated by ions in the electrolyte.
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