Primary Cell Chemistries
The vast majority of standard, primary batteries are made using one of four chemistries:
Alkaline
Alkaline cells have a medium energy density and can provide moderate power with minimal energy loss. One of the cons of an alkaline cell is that they can leak if left too long in devices so make sure to check up on them! A middle-of-the-road battery, alkaline can be used in everything from clocks to remotes with no issues. They cannot handle high drain devices and tend to heat up delivering much less energy than their rating. Alkaline primary cells are a great choice if you want the best bang for the buck and a general-purpose battery. Popular brands, including Energizer, Panasonic and Duracell, offer alkaline cells in commonly used sizes like AA, AAA, C, D, and 9V. Right here on Battery Junction, you can browse our selection of Alkaline batteries from several different brands.
Lithium (Li-FeS2)
Lithium cells have a very high energy density, provide more power, and rarely leak. Able to run well in any device, these are true general-purpose batteries. Lithium cells thrive in high-drain devices, so they’re better for the devices you leave running that demand more power. These can be things like keyless door locks, wireless video game controllers, trail cameras, or connected programmable thermostats. No matter what your needs, we have a lithium primary battery for you - browse our catalog of lithium batteries here.
Zinc
"General purpose" zinc-carbon and "heavy duty" zinc-chloride cells are the cheapest class of batteries on the market. They store less energy than other primary cell chemistries, cannot power medium drain devices for more than a few minutes, and often leak, but cost significantly less than other chemistries. If price is your main concern and the battery is only running a low-power device with occasional use, then zinc batteries are a good option.
A slight variation of the Zinc battery is the Zinc Air battery. These batteries have the highest energy density of any cell but need access to air to work. This keeps them from being used in watches, but they are very popular in hearing aids because of the longer period between replacements.
You can browse our available selection of zinc batteries here, as well as our selection of high-quality zinc air hearing aid batteries!
Silver Oxide
This is the chemistry most commonly found in coin cell batteries. These batteries are used in watches, hearing aids, and aerospace due to their high energy density and long shelf life. While they cannot sustain even low continuous power, the high drain variant can be pulsed to run alarms and lights from time to time. We have a large selection of silver oxide coin cell batteries available here.
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