The discharge characteristics of manganese dioxide (MnO2) cathode in the presence of small amounts (1, 3 and 5 wt.%) of TiS2 additive has been investigated in an alkaline cell using aqueous lithium hydroxide as the electrolyte. The incorporation of small amounts of TiS2 additives into MnO2 was found to improve the battery discharge capacity from 150 to 270 mAh/g. However, increasing the additive from 3 to 5 wt.% causes a decrease in the discharge capacity. Hence, the objective is to gain insight into the role of TiS2 on the discharge characteristics of MnO2 and its mechanism. For this purpose, we have used transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) techniques. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.