Hi I worked for a short time at Duracell. I do not know why they were ultimately rejected, but all of the consumer battery companies were researching lithium cells decades ago. I suspect it is some combination safety, environmental, and cost concerns of Lithium vs Manganese. The alkaline manganse cells still have very impressive lifetimes and energy density. The chemistry is amazingly suited for one off cells.
It could also be there is just not a lot of market pressure. If a manganese alkaline cell last a bit more than ten years, are you going to be upset with Duracell ten years later when you have no idea how much it has been utilized?
Rejected? They're in just about every grocery store at twice the price. But you have to be drawing a pretty high current before they last twice as long.
Rejected for replacing alkaline cells for AA, AAA, C, D, etc. Also I need to make a correction the comparison is between zinc and lithium, not manganese.
I often read that lithium cells suffer from volume changes during use but do not know if this affects lithium primary cells. The alkaline cells virtually never leak.
It could also be there is just not a lot of market pressure. If a manganese alkaline cell last a bit more than ten years, are you going to be upset with Duracell ten years later when you have no idea how much it has been utilized?