Composition of Rayovac Heavy Duty Maximum Batteries

Parts

• All batteries, including Rayovac's Heavy Duty and Alkaline Maximum, contain three essential parts. The first is the anode, or negative part of the battery. The positive part is the cathode. The final part is an electrolyte solution necessary for the electric current. Batteries represent storage units for electric current. Place the Rayovac product in any device and as it is used the electric current drains from the battery until it is empty and ready to be discarded.

Chemical System

• Each type of battery uses a different chemical system. For the Rayovac Alkaline Maximum battery it is an alkaline manganese. The heavy duty battery uses a zinc chloride system which is an improvement over the original zinc carbon batteries which were manufactured beginning in the 1800s. The heavy duty batteries with zinc chloride last twice as long as the old zinc carbon batteries according to Rayovac. The alkaline system provides a higher source of energy and lasts longer than the zinc chloride battery. Alkaline batteries work well in calculators, flashlights and toys while heavy duty batteries meet the needs of remote controls and smoke detectors.

Cathode and Anode Mixture

• The alkaline battery uses a mixture of manganese, dioxide, graphite and electrolyte for its cathode. Its anode is a gel made from zinc powder and other unnamed materials. For the heavy duty battery the mixture consists of manganese dioxide, carbon black and the zinc chloride electrolyte. The anode of the heavy duty is a pure zinc can which holds the parts of the battery.

Separation

• In order to avoid a dangerous chemical reaction the anode and cathode need to be kept separate. Rayovac uses a paper separator to accomplish this purpose. Soak the paper in an electrolyte for conductivity and it provides the necessary protection.