Zinc is used in an array of battery chemistries, primary and rechargeable, industrial and consumer. People are aware and make use of the most common types of batteries which are alkaline, zinc-chloride and zinc-carbon batteries, which together rule the consumer battery market with standard AA, AAA D and C sizes.
Existing and developing Zinc batteries
Notwithstanding the developing need for new battery alternatives, various zinc battery designs are being put forth with two selling points.
a) Flexibility: The Zinc Poly battery (new zinc battery type brings about innovation in screen printing) is intended to be adaptable, compact and equipped for being formed into practically any shape. Further, as zinc is not as toxic as other metals or chemicals used in the batteries and might be securely exposed to water or air, it is significantly more versatile and less unsafe for yielding electrolytes. Another benefit is, since Zinc as a metal is less dangerous than materials like lead or lithium, it require less caution in construction and disposal of the same.
b) Quick recharging: The second selling point for Zinc batteries is their ability to recharge themselves quickly, wherein the charging time is directly proportional to the size of the battery i.e. more the size, more the time it requires for charging.
Composition:
a) Zinc-carbon battery: Zinc carbon battery contains manganese dioxide as cathode, zinc as anode and zinc chloride or ammonium chloride as electrolyte.
b) Reusable Alkaline batteries: The anode is a zinc powder, while the cathode is made out of a manganese dioxide mixture. The battery gets its name from the potassium hydroxide electrolyte, which is a soluble substance.
c) Zinc-Chloride: It is an improvement over Zinc-Carbon cell. The battery makes use of ZnCl2 paste and is also known as the heavy-duty cell.
Common uses of Zinc batteries include: clocks, remote controls, toys, hearing aids, organ monitors, MP3 players, digital cameras, lights, CD players, radios and digital cameras, to name a few.
