The lead-ruthenates oxides were synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis. Compounds in which part of the ruthenium is substituted with iridium were also prepared. The performance of these oxides for oxygen reduction and generation reactions was investigated in porous, gas-fed electrodes. The performance of pyrochlore oxide electrodes was shown to be excellent for oxygen reduction and generation reactions. It was observed that iridium substituted pyrochlores exhibit somewhat better performance for oxygen reduction than the unsubstituted compounds. The anodic corrosion resistance of pyrochlore-based porous electrodes was improved by using two different anionically conducting polymer overlayers, which slow down the diffusion of ruthenates and plumbate out of the electrode. The use of the conducting polymer overlayers resulted in improved performance of these electrodes.