Is anybody excited about the upcoming Zinc-Air cells ?

LEDBE
I thought that zinc air batteries had been around for decades, perhaps these use some different chemistry?

The older types of zinc air batteries were available in very small sizes for in-ear hearing aids, and in very large sizes, up to hundreds of A/H for electric fences, marine marker bouys etc.

These cells were used oxygen from the air as part of the chemical reaction, and therefore did not work in a sealed enclosure since the available oxygen would soon be depleted.
Also they suffrered from rapid self discharge, once put to use. They were supplied airtight, and a sealing label or tab had to be removed to activate the cell.

The press release linked to gives little technical detail, but it sounds as though the cells are very different to older types.
Anyone got more info?
 
Once a zinc-air cell is opened and exposed to oxygen, it will begin to discharge whether it's in use or not.

Unless there's some way Energizer has come up with to use a zinc-air cell intermittently without the self-discharge problems, these will only be good when you're able to use their full capacity all at one time.

The days of alkaline primary cells are far from numbered.
 
Perfectionist said:
Apparently to be launched by Energizer next month and promising a 3-fold increase in power ?? :twothumbs

I'm guessing the days of Alkaline's are numbered !! :p
Click to expand...

Sorry to split hairs, but the article states a 3-fold increase in capacity, not power. Power is the rate at which a battery can deliver energy while capacity is the total energy that can be delivered, usually given at a specific rate (and a low one at that to boost numbers).

Now, I don't know if these zinc-air cells have higher or lower power density than competing technologies, and a quick internet search did not turn up any data on the subject. So, until I see hard data on these batteries I will refrain from getting excited: for if a typical AA sized cell can't even deliver as much current as an alkaline cell then it is of little use for powering most flashlights.
 
zinc-air has been around for decades but the current technology has them only able to put out low currents but with a lot of capacity. I read they used them during the wars to keep phone lines running and the only thing I have seen them used for is hearing aid batteries. There was a company that was trying to make a *smart* cell that would detect power usage and when it wasn't using it stop the current flow. These are IMO like all the alcohol fuel cells etc that were hyped a few years back... until they have a breakthrough they are only to sucker in speculators into buying stock.....lol
 
Lynx_Arc said:
zinc-air has been around for decades but the current technology has them only able to put out low currents but with a lot of capacity. I read they used them during the wars to keep phone lines running and the only thing I have seen them used for is hearing aid batteries.
Click to expand...

Before the advent of "all dry" valves just before WWII, portable radios with 2V filaments often used a zinc air-depolarizer A battery. Never seen one.
The new 1.4V valves, which could happily run on a brick of 4-8 F cells in parallel took over completely, and the zinc-air cell development withered on the vine.

And then in the 1960s, the advent of the fully sealed lead-acid 2V "gel cell" was the final nail in that coffin. Or so I thought.
 
I read about them quite some time back. I think the possibilities are there if they can perfect the new technology and they can be recycled and supposedly are safer than Lithion Ion.
Here is a link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc-air_battery

http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/12581/?a=f

This explains what they need to recharge, not something I will be able to do in my basement.
http://www.zyn.com/flcfw/fwtproj/ZincAirB.htm

I don't know if they will ever make it to power flashlights and portable radios, but I am always excited to see new innovations even with older technology.
Lithion Ion is not the answer for the long term IMO.
 
broadgage said:
I thought that zinc air batteries had been around for decades, perhaps these use some different chemistry?
Click to expand...

they have, predominately in hearing aids until silver oxides took over.
back in 2004, dunno if anyone remember, the firefli flashlight was the only one we know of that uses them, unscrew [air goes in] to light, seal the flashlight = no light but also no battery drain

http://ledmuseum.candlepower.us/firefli.htm

Not sure why Zinc Air is suddenly new, last I heard the newest battery technology was Nickel Zinc rechargeables, and theres a thread on that as well.
 
I think any new battery technology is almost boring because I have seen how long it has taken to get nimh and lithium ion to where it is refined enough to be cost effective. Until they have standardized cells any new tech will be about 3 times what it should be in cost and capacity half what it will become when that cost finally reaches maturity. If you recall a lot of the time devices had to adapt to the new battery technology not the other way around so even if a new technology comes about it could mean having to mess around with adapting a different voltage and cell size/type into a device or design one from scratch like these 18650 lights etc. I don't like the idea of zinc air for a lot of things because it means designing things that need to have batteries to breathe and flashlights breathing isn't a great thing IMO
 
So it's pretty much what we expected - large capacity, low power. The biggest one is rated for 40mA, that's milliamps, continuous discharge.

So what's new? At quick glance, new form factor, and you can turn them on and off instead of having them degrade from the moment you take them out of the packaging, like with the current Zinc-air batteries.
 
these guys were making a Big one to charge mobile phones, claim many charges . . . more than its capable of :)
http://www.integratir.com/newsrelease.asp?ticker=PWAC&news=2131022069&lang=EN&alt=

i also SAW a finished one, that was being sold to charge mobile devices, but slowly , that was big. it came foil wrapped, and looked like it was all air entry. it was HERE http://www.fuelcellstore.com/ but now that particular page is gone.
i wanted to play with one, make a light, so i bookmarked it.

this thing here called a "fuel cell", is probably one of them
http://fuelcellstore.com/en/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=1135#details
because i doubt it is hydrogen for a $49 "fuel Cell"

the link for the PDF doesnt work, but this does
http://www.medistechnologies.com/Portals/Medistech/DataFiles/Documents/24-7-Powerpack-specsheet.pdf
they dumped the foil wrap, and made it all consumerish , like a calume light.

and HEre Is Mr Poo Poo Telling us what they conveientally left out

you must connect the large conversion connector to the base fuel cell. The fuel cell alone can not put out sufficient power. Inside the connector is a battery, which must be charged by the fuel cell first for a few hours, then you plug in your device.
http://www.amazon.com/Medis-Portabl...=dp_db_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
thank god for the critics :)


there was also a Scooter once that was going to be the rage, using zinc air, and "rechargable" i was facinated, till i found out, you would just go to your local gas station, and pick up more ZINC to recharge it :)

does ZincAir have the capability of functioning in extreeme cold? not the energyser GEL one , but the normal ZA?
 
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