TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Composition: In the composition, the particles are characterized by at least one of: the surface area is 1,200-2,000 m2/g, the pore volume is 1.3-1.5 m3/g, and the average pore diameter dimension is 3.5-20 nm. The particles are spherical, and where the particles are made by a process utilizing silica precursor and a set of surfactants. The particles are coated with a conductive polymer, where the conductive polymer is polyacrylonitrile. Preferred Cell: In the lithium-sulfur cell, the particles have a MCM-48 3D framework. The article is a porous separator, where the porous separator comprises at least one of polyimide, polyethylene and polypropylene. The particles are incorporated into a surface coating on a surface of the article in an amount of 0.0001-100 mg/cm2 silica. The particles are an additive incorporated within the porous separator. The particles are located in a pore wall of a pore in the porous separator and exposed to electrolyte medium in the pore. The article is a positive electrode and the particles are part of a cathode composition incorporated into the positive electrode. The particles are incorporated into a carbon-sulfur composite as a component of the cathode composition. The article is a coating located on a surface of at least one of a porous separator, a positive electrode, the negative electrode, the circuit, and the interior wall of the cell. The coating has characteristics of a film and is located on a surface of at least one of the circuit, and the interior wall of the cell. The coating has characteristics of a membrane and is located on a surface of at least one of the porous separator, the positive electrode, the negative electrode, the circuit, and the interior wall of the cell. The article is situated in the electrolyte medium and is one of a film, a membrane, and a combination comprising characteristics of a film and a membrane in different parts of the combination. EXAMPLE - No suitable example given.