The Effect of Included Ions on the Rechargeability of Pelletized Manganese Dioxide Electrodes

Abstract

It has long been known that electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD) exhibits a limited rechargeability in alkaline solution. In the present work we describe how some included ions affect this rechargeability. The rechargeability of EMD electrodes was measured in terms of a cumulative capacity. This was defined as the total discharge capacity of an electrode summed over a fixed number of cycles. This parameter had the advantage that, under the conditions of our test, it was reproducible to better than ± 8%. By comparing cumulative capacities we found which included ions were advantageous and which were not. Results for a number of ions are summarized and discussed.