The battery can be made using conventional means and processes. However, the anode must be an iron anode, and an electrolyte comprising sodium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide and sodium sulfide is used. In one embodiment, both the sodium hydroxide based electrolyte and an iron-phobic battery separator are used in the battery. A great benefit of using the three component sodium hydroxide based electrolyte is that the battery can be sealed. A typical flooded design need not be used. Such a sealed battery is maintenance free as electrolyte need not be added periodically, as one would with a flooded design.

In one embodiment, the iron anode itself is different from the traditional pocket anode design. The anode is a single, coated conductive substrate, which can be coated on one side, or both sides. The anode can also be made by a simple coating process, which can be continuous.

The single substrate of the iron anode is used as a current conducting and collecting material that houses the active material (iron) of the electrode. In the traditional pocket design, the substrate encompasses the active material and holds the material. Two layers of substrate are therefore required per electrode. In the single substrate design, a single layer of substrate is used. This single layer acts as a carrier with coated material bonded to at least one side. In one embodiment, both sides of the substrate are coated. This substrate may be a thin conductive material such as a metal foil or sheet, metal foam, metal mesh, woven metal, or expanded metal. For example, a 0.060 inch, 80 ppi, nickel foam material has been used.