What is a Zinc battery?
Zinc Batteries (Non-Rechargeable) are electro-chemical batteries powered by the oxidation of zinc with oxygen. These batteries typically have high energy densities. They are typically used in hearing aids and prevalent in experimental electric vehicles. In order to function, particles of zinc are mixed with an electrolyte (usually potassium hydroxide solution). Water and oxygen from the air than react at the cathode and form hydroxyls which migrate into the zinc paste and form zincate (Zn(OH)42-), at which point electrons are released and travel to the cathode. The zincate decays into zinc oxide and water is released back into the system. The water and hydroxyls from the anode are recycled at the cathode, so the water serves only as a catalyst. The reactions produce a maximum voltage level of 1.65 volts, but this is reduced to 1.4–1.35 V by reducing air flow into the cell; this is usually done for hearing aid batteries to reduce the rate of water drying out.
