3. Zinc-silver oxide batteries (Zn/Ag2O)

3.1 General

Batteries with zinc anode, silver oxide cathode and alkaline electrolyte (also known as silver batteries) were studied and developed because of their high energy-to-weight ratio, combined with their ability to deliver high discharge currents. Their ability to operate at low temperatures (– 20°C and below) means they can be used in this field. The ability to deliver high mass energies, combined with the high cost of silver metal, has meant that this system has mainly been developed :

• for the production of "button" batteries (small quantities of silver);

• in the production of high-performance batteries used in certain military applications, such as the propulsion of electric torpedoes (in this...