Battery primary cells

Alkaline: higher energy density and longer shelf life than zinc-carbon batteries, lower cost than silver oxide batteries.

Zinc-Carbon: The least expensive primary battery, and therefore usually packaged with any electronic device that comes batteries-included. The battery's shelf life is about 1.5 years, the zinc casing corrodes from the inside out even when the battery isn't in use.

Silver Oxide: These a long life and very high energy/weight ratio, but a prohibitive cost for most larger applications due to the high price of silver. Most button batteries, in watches or other small electronics, are silver-oxide.

Secondary Batteries are more expensive than primary batteries, but more economical over several charge cycles. For example, battery manufacturers of NiMH (Nickel-metal Hydride) rechargeable batteries claim a service life of 100-1000 charge cycles for their batteries.

Related Pages

 * Battery
 * Battery secondary cells
 * List of Battery Types
 * Primary cell