The discharge capacity of zinc–carbon cells
(Leclanche cell) is limited by the performance of the
cathode material (MnO2) and physical properties of carbon
powder added to MnO2
. Acetylene black, Vulcan XC 72,
Black Pearls 2000, and a carbon composite (consisting of
50% acetylene black and 50% Black Pearls 2000®) were
evaluated as cathode additives in test cells and were
compared. The study indicated that cathode mixture with
Black Pearls 2000®showed improvement in performance
than acetylene black, the most commonly used carbon in
commercial zinc–carbon cells. The performance of the test
cells was found to have a correlation with the physical
properties of the carbons used