Introductory Material

Abstract

As mentioned in the Preface, electrochemical storage of energy involves the conversion, or transduction , of chemical energy into electrical energy, and vice versa . This is accomplished by the use of electrochemical cells, commonly known as batteries . To understand how this works, it is first necessary to consider the driving forces that cause electrochemical transduction to occur in electrochemical cells and the major types of reaction mechanisms that can occur. These matters are discussed in this chapter.