The beneficial effect of increased cathode water content on magnesium battery performance

The author discusses the results of work directed towards alleviating the negative effects of the anode corrosion in magnesium-manganese dioxide (Mg/MnO/sub 2/) batteries. Because of anode corrosion, magnesium batteries lose their excellent storability after being partially discharged and, hence, are unsatisfactory for long-term intermittent usage. It was found that increasing the cathode water content enhanced battery performance by as much as 41%. At 40 degrees F and following four weeks of intermittent storage, the capacity increased by 29% compared to the baseline (no additional cathode moisture) performance.<>