TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - METALLURGY - Preferred Material: The electrically conductive substrate comprises titanium, stainless steel, nickel, magnesium, aluminum, and/or their alloys. It comprises a metal susceptible to forming oxides in the presence of oxygen.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Material: The polymer comprising silicon is formed from a starting composition comprising organo-functional silanes, amino-functional silanes, chlorosilanes, fluorosilanes, silazanes and/or their co-polymers, preferably 6-azidosulfonyl-hexyltriethoxysilane, bis((3-ethoxysilyl)propyl)ethylenediamine, N-(3-triethoxysilylpropyl)-4,5-dihydxoimidazole, diethoxyphosphatoethyltriethoxysilane, 5,6-epoxyhexyltriethoxysilane, bis-(3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl)amine, 3-aminopropylmethyldiethoxysilane, N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyl-trimethoxysilane, N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropylmethyldimethoxysilane, bis-(3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl)disulfide, bis-(3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl)tetrasulfide, 3-mercaptopropyltriethoxysilane, aminopropylmethyldiethoxysilane, chloropropyltriethoxysilane, chloropropyltrimethoxysilane, glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-isocyanatopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane, mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane, methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, methyltriacetoxysilane (MTAS), methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS), methyl tris-(butanone oxime) silane (MOS), methyl oximino silane (MOS), methyl tris-(methyl ethyl ketoximo) silane (MOS), tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), tetramethoxysilane (TMOS), vinyltriethoxysilane, vinyltrimethoxysilane, vinyl tris-(butanone oxime) silane (VOS), vinyl oximino silane (VOS), vinyl tris-(methyl ethyl ketoximo) silane (VOS), their copolymers, and/or preferably 3-aminopropyltriethoxy silane. The protective polymeric coating comprises epoxies, silicones, polyamide-imides, polyether-imides, polyphenols, phenolics, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyesters, phenoxy-phenolics, epoxide-phenolics, acrylics, and/or urethanes. Preferred Property: The adhesion promoting coating has a thickness of less than 100 Angstrom .