TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Method: The vehicle (e.g. water), carbon particles and surfactant(s) are combined by high shear mixing. The highly fluorinated polymer is added by low shear mixing, such that the preliminary composition does not encounter zones having a shear rate greater than 50 (preferably no greater than 10) sec-1. The application of the coating composition to the electrically conductive porous substrate is accomplished by low shear coating, such that the composition does not encounter zones of shear having a shear rate greater than 50 sec-1. The coating composition is applied by three-roll coating (preferably), wire wound rod coating, notch bar coating or fluid bearing die coating.The method further comprises degassing or defoaming the preliminary composition; further mixing the preliminary composition by ultra high shear mixing prior to the addition of highly fluorinated polymer(s); and coating the electrically conductive porous substrate with a hydrophobizing agent prior to the application of the coating composition.Preferred Condition: The preliminary composition additionally comprises a thickening agent.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Component: The surfactant is an amine oxide surfactant, preferably alkylamine oxides of formula (I) or (II).R = 1-20C alkyl which may include ether oxygens, and which may be substituted with alcohol or other groups; andn = 9-19. EXAMPLE - Carbon black (19.2 kg) was added rapidly to deionized water (123.6 kg) while mixing with a high-speed disk disperser (HSDD). A 30% aqueous Genaminox CST (RTM: amine oxide surfactant) solution was added in 1 L increments until the mixture could be moved by the HSDD again. The remainder of the total 16.9 kg Genaminox CST was added incrementally. After standing overnight to allow the foam to collapse, a blade propeller mixer placed high enough to just move the mixture, was used to re-suspend any carbon that had settled. For ultra high shear mixing, the mixture was pumped through a horizontal media mill at 0.95 L/minute and a shaft rotation of 1200 rpm. The discharged dispersion did not contain any foam. A coating composition was prepared by adding Dyneon TF 5235 (RTM: polytetrafluoroethylene dispersion) (813.5 g) to the above dispersion (16.229 kg) to give an 80/20 weight/weight ratio of carbon to PTFE. The dispersion was coated onto a wet-proofed Avcarb 1071 HCB (RTM) cloth by a three-roll coating method.