Could protons be made into a current like electrons can?
Related: If they can’t, then how do the nuclei get passed down the wire and make a deposit of acid on the terminal of my car battery?
Protons can only flow through “proton conductors” such as liquid electrolytes, gels, certain plastics, hot ceramics, ice…
The white fluffy stuff on car battery terminals is caused by leaking electrolyte. The stuff tends to crawl everywhere because as it evaporates, it grows a coating of wet crystals of lead salts which acts as a wick. The wicking action lets the electrolyte get out of the battery and out into the air. This wet coating can grow up and out of the battery through the tiniest crack. It’s like those “magic cherry tree” toys where a black piece of paper is placed in salt water, and large white salt deposits grow from the edges of the paper.
Buy those felt rings that fit over your battery terminals.
Yes and no. You can create a flow of protons, but it doesn’t work quite the same as electron flow.
For one thing, you need a proton source, which requires ionizing a steady stream of small atoms. You probably won’t find such a source in your car, but cyclotrons and linear accelerators will generally have them. Protons can’t actually travel in a wire, but do pretty well in a vacuum, so you need an evacuated pipe to fit the bill here, and you need to generate strong magnetic and electric fields along the length of the pipe in order to focus and direct the proton stream to keep it inside the pipe and flowing where you want it. Again, more in the realm of extensive research facilities than in that of the homebuilder.
As for your battery question, nuclei do not get passed anywhere. Electrons have a bizarre property in metals (or other conducting materials) in that they are not localized to specific nuclei, but rather become “fluid” in a region of probability surrounding the conducting atoms, and are free to move in response to electric and magnetic field influences. This net movement of electrons is electric current. The electrons themselves are not actually moving that fast - certainly orders of magnitude slower than any proton stream we’ve yet managed to create.
The deposit on your battery terminals may be a result of leaking battery electrolyte, but if it is minor, it may simply be an oxide of the battery terminal or wiring clamp. Such oxidation is accelerated by current flow in the dissimilar metal interface, and by the presence of oxygen and moisture. Try a light coat of Vaseline on the (cleaned) terminals and see if that slows down the corrosion.
Clear as mud?