Leclanché Dry Cells - Low cost general purpose primary batteries Page 1 of 2

Custom Power Solutions

Products & Services Leclanché Cells

Custom Solutions Characteristics
Low Power Cells Primary cell with a nominal open circuit voltage of 1.5 Volts produced in very
High Power Cells high volumes.
Chargers & Charging Chemistry based on a zinc anode and a cathode/depolariser of manganese
Battery Management dioxide which absorbs the liberated hydrogen bubbles which would otherwise
Battery Testing insulate the electrode from the electrolyte. It uses a carbon rod as the
Get Help cathode current collector with an electrolyte of ammonium chloride. Its
Information Hotline variants have been in use for over a century. The performance of Leclanché
Quotation Request cells improved by 700% between 1920 and 1990.
FAQ Also referred to as Zinc- Carbon Cells or Dry Cells (not to be confused with
Cell Chemistries Solid State Cells) despite having an aqueous electrolyte since in modern
Free Report cells the electrolyte of ammonium chloride and zinc chloride is produced in
Why Batteries Fail gel form or held in porous separators to reduce potential leakage if the cell

Choosing a Battery becomes punctured.

Variants include
How to Specify
Batteries Zinc carbon (Carbon cathode)
Zinc chloride (Ammonium chloride electrolyte replaced by zinc chloride)
News
Alkaline manganese ( Ammonium chloride electrode replaced by
MPower News
potassium hydroxide)
Battery Events
See separate page for Alkaline batteries.
ISO 9000 Qualified
Advantages
Inexpensive materials

Send this page Low cost

to a friend Available in a wide range of sizes including AAA, AA, C, D and 9Volt sizes.
MPower does not monitor Suitable for a wide range of consumer applications
or record these emails Interchangeable with alkaline batteries
Shortcomings
Propensity to leak
The basic zinc carbon battery has a lower energy density than the competing
alkaline batteries
Poor low temperature performance. Do not function well in sub-zero
temperatures.
The use of naturally occurring manganese dioxide from different sources can
lead to wide performance variations due to the presence of small quantities
of impurities such as nickel, copper, arsenic, and cobalt.
Not rechargeable
Applications
General purpose, low cost applications

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Leclanché Dry Cells - Low cost general purpose primary batteries Page 2 of 2

Toys
Remote controls
Flashlights
Clocks
Consumer applications
Losing market share to alkaline cells and newer technologies
Costs
Lowest cost primary batteries

History
Cell Chemistry Comparison Chart

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http://www.mpoweruk.com/leclanche.htm 6/11/2008