Can someone tell me about zinc-air batteries?

[wuushew]

Specifically the energy density ratios to other types of batteries and their relative expense.

Seems to me zinc is vastly more plentiful than lithium is and would be better able to meet future electrical storage needs.

[phantom power]

1. 110 watt-hours per kilogram

http://www.zyn.com/flcfw/fwtproj/ZincAirB.htm

According to this graph, the volumetric density is upwards of 750 watt-hours per liter, which is quite high.

[mike_c]

2. lots of info on Google....

eom

[don954]

3. currently in really small lightweight applications, like hearing aid

batteries. I don’t know if there is a scale problem or what. Once you activate them, they produce current till they run out of fuel, you cant start-stop them like normal batteries. I use them for my hearing aid. I hear several laptop manufactures are looking at them for laptops, but its been about 4 years since i have heard of anything new.

[liberal N proud]

4. From the Energizer Battery web site...

General Characteristics:
◦ Highest capacity-to-volume ratio for miniature batteries.
◦ Relatively flat discharge curve.
◦ Essentially constant internal resistance.
◦ Activated by removing covering (adhesive backed tab) from air access hole.
◦ Most effective in applications that consume battery capacity in a few weeks.
◦ Must have access to air (oxygen) to operate.
◦ Nominal voltage of 1.4
◦ Excellent service maintenance prior to tab removal.
◦ Available in common hearing aid battery sizes.

Applications:
"Air Cell" batteries are especially effective in high to medium drain applications that
will use the batteries capacity within a few weeks after opening the seal. Applications
falling within this usage time will achieve the high energy density advantage: the
highest capacity-to-volume ratio for any miniature battery system. Hearing aids are
typical devices which fit this usage time parameter.

http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/zincair_appman.pdf

[phantom power]

5. doesn't sound like they lend themselves to recharging

or, by exetention, regenerative breaking.

[wuushew]

6. Are we talking about two different things?

Is there a zinc air battery or is it more of a non-rechargeable cell system? I ran across an article that mentioned its use in laptops so I can only assume from this it is indeed rechargeable.

[phantom power]

7. I don't know much about them.

The applications above appear to be one-time use. In theory, any electrochemical reaction is reversible, but pragmatics can get in the way.

[cprise]

8. Google for Zinc Fuel Cell

There are also aluminum fuel cells under development.

The eVionyx type can be either recharged like a battery, or refueled.