Zinc-Carbon Battery Technology

Zinc-Carbon cells started out as Zinc-Manganese Dioxide cells in the middle of the 10th century. In the middle of the last century, most batteries used this techology. The name is derived from the materials used for the negative electrode (Zinc), and the positive electrode (Carbon). The original electrolyte of ammonium chloride has by now been replaced in most batteries with zinc chloride, resulting in a performance improvement equivalent to a three-fold increase in operating time. This updated technology is also referred to as Zinc-Chloride in current battery products.

Zinc-Carbon cells are in declining use today, even though they are inexpensive to manufacture and buy. This is primarily due some inherent limitations:

• They do not work well under heavy loads, because they discharge rapidly, and their power level drops quickly with progressive discharge.
• They have a limited shelf life, which rarely exceeds two years.
• They perform as specified in a moderate temperature range of about -10°C to 40°C.

Zinc-Carbon batteries are most suitable for:

• Intermittent applications, that provide for recuperation of power levels, e.g. in torches.
• Applications that draw small amounts of current occasionally, e.g. door bells or electric toys.

Further development of Zinc Carbon technology lead to the alkaline battery, which addresses many of the deficiencies above.

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