What is an Magnesium Battery?

What is an Magnesium Battery?

Magnesium Battery Definition

A magnesium battery is a primary battery that uses magnesium as the anode material due to its high potential and cost-effectiveness.

Chemistry Components

The battery uses a magnesium alloy anode, manganese dioxide cathode mixed with acetylene black for conductivity, and magnesium perchlorate electrolyte with additives for corrosion prevention.

Construction

Magnesium batteries have a similar construction to zinc-carbon batteries but use magnesium alloy containers and need careful sealing to manage moisture and hydrogen gas.

Advantages

These batteries offer good shelf life, high capacity, and higher voltage compared to zinc-carbon batteries.

Disadvantages

They face issues like voltage delay, hydrogen evolution during discharge, heat generation, and poor storage after partial discharge.