Creating an Efficient Electrical Cell to Optimal Chemical Combinations

[Jhenrique]

Which are all the possible combinations of chemical elements that a common people can use for manufacture an electrical cell that no needs of special care? (say me from better to worse, please)

Also, the combination Zn/Cu is the standard combination or is just a combination among several possible?

 

[adjacent]

You can use any two metal where one metal is more reactive than the other.

Zn is more reactive than Cu.
As the reactivity difference increase,the voltage across the cell also increase

 

[hilbert2]

They don't even have to be metals, any two compounds that react spontaneously by a redox reaction will do, for example hydrogen peroxide + iodide ions. You can even make a concentration cell in which only the concentration of the reactant differs between the anode and cathode compartments: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_cell .

 

[Jhenrique]

Zn and Cu is the better option viable? If reactivity is the key parameter, so I could use K and Au...