How a Potato Becomes a Battery

A potato, combined with a few components – and immediately a small diode lights up. 40 young researchers explored how this works during the “The Mouse's Open Doors Day” event at MEET Battery Research Center on October 3. Together with MEET scientists Dr Philip Niehoff and Felix Dahlhaus, the children, aged six to ten, built their own potato batteries and discovered how a chemical reaction generates electric current.

But it did not stop at experimentation: The young guests also learned what batteries are made of and why battery research plays an important role in our daily lives as well as our future. How is electricity actually generated? What happens inside a battery? And what are battery researchers working on today? Dr Philip Niehoff and Felix Dahlhaus explored these and many other questions together with the children, bringing science to life.

While the little researchers got hands-on, doors that usually remain closed in everyday life opened for the adults. During a guided tour through the laboratories, MEET Board Member Dr Adrienne Hammerschmidt and MEET scientist Dr Tobias Gallasch provided insights into the work of the battery research center, current research topics, and Münster as a hub for battery research.

Here Comes the Mouse!

Every year on German Unity Day, the message across Germany is: Open doors for curious explorers. The “Doors open with the mouse” event, initiated by Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), gives children and their families the opportunity to explore places that are normally inaccessible. Companies, research institutions, workshops, and numerous other organizations bring science, technology, and other exciting topics to life right on site. MEET Battery Research Center has been participating since 2017 and invites young aspiring scientists to get an up-close look at battery research.