1. Magnesium-silver chloride batteries. Electrolyte: seawater

1.1 General

The magnesium-silver chloride battery is representative of a family of magnesium-anode systems such as magnesium-copper chloride and magnesium-lead chloride. However, the Mg/AgCl cell has been the most widely used in applications due to its high energy density performance. The use of copper chloride as a cathode makes it possible to produce less expensive batteries, albeit with lower performance.

The appeal of these batteries is partly due to the low cost of the magnesium used as the anode. This type of battery has not been developed to provide very high power ratings, as aqueous saline media are not very good conductors, compared with alkaline or strong acid aqueous media. However, after priming, magnesium corrosion in aqueous media begins, and...