Generally there is a very common misunderstanding on certain things like what is a capacitor and what is battery. Because the battery and capacitor both components discharge electric charge according to the requirement. Here we will understand both deeply and then identify the difference between these on some measures.
Capacitor is a component of electronics used to store and discharge the charge according to the requirements of the circuit. Whereas a battery is an electronic device that is used to supply the DC current by converting chemical energy to electrical energy. So now we will go through some measures on the basis of which these two components can be differentiated.
Composition
These two electronic components the capacitor and the battery have metal plates. The distinguishing factor is where and how are these metal plates kept. So for a capacitor, these two metal plates are separated with a dielectric. I hope you have already come across the word dielectric it is nothing but an insulator that has a tendency to be polarized in the presence of an electric field. So, the capacitor has a dielectric between the two metal plates. Now in battery, we have an electrolyte in a battery and we have chemicals. If it’s a lead acid battery there is a composition of the electrode, a node, a cathode the electrolyte. There is a certain composition of them based on which type of battery you’re using like a lithium-ion battery and a lead acid battery all these compositions come from which type of anode- cathode, and electrolyte you are using.
Fig- 2 Fig- 3
Voltage ranges
Now you will notice that the capacitors have a dielectric. So you can work with the capacitor at very high voltage ranges there will be no insulation breakdown nothing will happen. In capacitors, if it has a higher voltage then more charges will be accumulated on the metal plates of the capacitor. Batteries do come in lots of ranges we speak generally we have seen a battery to 12 volts. You have seen your batteries in your cell phone five-volt battery lithium-ion batteries we can also go to the most common ones are the twelve volts batteries (car battery). Batteries generally have a certain limit of voltage also just to be on the safe side we do have to be very cautious while using a battery. So we do not go very higher like kilo volts are not possible for a battery but it is possible for a capacitor.
Energy density and power density
Energy density is the amount of energy contained compared to its weight or size. Similarly, power density is the power per unit weight or volume. So capacitors are known to have a remarkable power density but batteries are known to have a remarkable energy density. The distinguishing parameter between energy density and power density is only time. power x time is energy. It means if you want power for a certain period of time you go for high energy density. If you want power in bursts you go for high power density because power density can be high. It will be going and coming. But for energy density, it has to be a prolonged supply of power. Hence we can conclude that the energy density for capacitors is low and for battery it is high. While the power density for the capacitor is high and for the battery it is low.
Charging and discharging
In the previous article we learned that the power density is high for capacitors. So they can quickly charge or discharge in a fraction of a second. Because they are storing their energy on the plates. The potential energy is stored on the plates of the capacitor so capacitors are taking seconds to charge and discharge. But in the case of a battery, the battery takes hours to charge as well as to discharge now you will notice that for any cell phone battery. There is a certain period of charging and there is a prolonged period of discharging of the battery. That is why you charge your phones maybe in an hour or two but your phone discharges for a very long period of time but it takes a very long time to discharge now what is the remarkable difference here is that when you are charging your phone the electrical energy is being converted into chemical energy. When you are discharging the same chemical energy is converted into electrical energy. So once this chemical energy is converted into electrical energy that is during this charge there is some latency or so it takes time to do that. That is why always are discharging period is higher compared to the charging period.
Difference between battery and capacitors
The difference between battery and capacitors is summarized in the given table.
| Sl No. | Capacitor | Battery |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | It is a passive component of a circuit. | It is an active component of a circuit. |
| 2 | Because energy is stored directly on the plates of the capacitors, their charging and discharging rates are faster than batteries. | Because of the conversion of chemical energy to electrical energy, the charging and discharging rates of the batteries are considerably slower. |
| 3 | Its voltage decreases rapidly while discharging. | Battery provides a constant voltage. |
| 4 | The electric field serves as a storage space for potential energy. | The potential energy is stored in the form of chemical energy, which is later converted to electric energy. |
| 5 | Higher cost. | It is relatively cheaper than a capacitor. |
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The energy density is the amount of energy contained compared to its weight or size. Similarly, power density is the power per unit weight or volume. Capacitors are used to store and discharge energy in a very small time. Some important applications of capacitors are given below Power factor correction. Mostly there is Li–ion batteries are used in cell phones. In battery, we have an electrolyte in a battery and we have chemicals. If it's a lead acid battery there is a composition of the electrode, a node, a cathode the electrolyte. These are mostly employed in substations and power systems due to the reason they have increased cell voltage levels and minimal cost. Difference between Capacitor and Battery FAQs
Explain the energy density and power density of the battery.
Write some applications of capacitors.
Sensors
Coupling.
Tuning.
DecouplingWhat is the type of batteries used in cell phones?
What composition is used in batteries in lead acid batteries?
What is the important application of lead-acid batteries today?
