Oxygen electrode preparation

Method of providing an electrocatalytically-active manganese oxide deposit on the interior pore wall surfaces of a porous electrode body comprising:

• applying to the interior walls of the electrode body a liquid, anionic-manganese pyrolytic salt reagent selected from the group consisting of manganese nitrate, manganese carbonate, carboxylic acid salts of manganese containing up to about 20 carbon atoms in the organic acid radical portion of the salt, and mixtures thereof;
• then
• heating the reagent-bearing electrode at a body temperature between one that is at least at about the decomposition temperature of the reagent and about 700.degree. C. until the reagent decomposes to manganese oxide(s) layer deposit formations on said pore walls;
• sequentially repeating the reagent wetting step and the heating step until the said deposit formations are adequate in quantity to leave a deposit loading of the electrode that is between about 0.005 and about 7.5 milligrams of manganese oxide(s) catalyst per cubic centimeter of porous electrode body volume;
• and
• washing and refining the deposit laden body with an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution.

Method of providing an electrocatalytically-active manganese oxide deposit on the interior pore wall surfaces of a porous electrode body consisting essentially of

• applying to the interior walls of the electrode body a liquid, anionic-manganese pyrolytic salt reagent selected from the group consisting of manganese nitrate, manganese carbonate, carboxylic acid salts of manganese containing up to about 20 carbon atoms in the organic acid radical portion of the salt;
• and mixtures thereof;
• then
• heating the reagent-bearing electrode at a body temperature between one that is at least at about the decomposition temperature of the reagent and about 700.degree. C. until the reagent decomposes to manganese oxide(s) layer deposit formations on said pore walls;
• washing and refining the deposit laden body with an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution;
• and
• sequentially repeating the reagent wetting step;
• the heating step and washing step until the said deposit formations are adequate in quantity to leave a deposit loading of the electrode that is between about 0.005 and about 7.5 milligrams of manganese oxide(s) catalyst per cubic centimeter of porous electrode body volume.