Secondary battery or cell with polysulfide wettable electrode #1

Claim 1

In a secondary battery or cell comprising: (A) an anodic reaction zone containing a molten alkali metal reactant-anode in electrical contact with an external circuit; (B) a cathodic reaction zone containing a cathodic reactant which, when said battery or cell is at least partially discharged, is selected from the group consisting of (i) a single phase composition comprising molten polysulfide salts of said anodic reactant, and (ii) a two-phase composition comprising molten sulfur and molten sulfur saturated polysulfide salts of said anodic reactant; (C) a cation-permeable barrier to mass liquid transfer interposed between and in contact with said anodic and cathodic reaction zones; and (D) an electrode which is disposed within said cathodic reaction zone such that it is (i) at least partially immersed in said cathodic reactant and (ii) in electrical contact with both said cation-permeable barrier and said external circuit, the improvement wherein at least a portion of said electrode consists essentially of a porous metal substrate which (i) is coated, at least in part, with an oxide of a metal selected from the group consisting of (a) metals of Groups I, II and III of the Periodic Table of Elements, (b) Transition Series metals, and (c) Tin, lead, antimony and bismuth to a thickness which is greater than about 500 Angstroms, but which results in said electrode portion having a resistivity of less than about 4 ohm-cm 2 , (ii) does not fill the entire volume of said cathodic reaction zone, and (iii) is, at least in part, adjacent to and contiguous with said cation-permeable barrier.