Patent ID: 8436520

Claim:
A spark plug, comprising: a metallic shell having an axial bore; an insulator having an axial bore and being at least partially disposed within the axial bore of the metallic shell; a center electrode being at least partially disposed within the axial bore of the insulator; and a ground electrode being attached to a free end of the metallic shell, wherein the center electrode, the ground electrode, or both includes an electrode material having: platinum (Pt) from about 50 at % to about 99.9 at %, inclusive; at least one active element from about 0.01 at % to about 30 at %, the at least one active element is selected from the group consisting of: aluminum (Al) or silicon (Si); at least one high-melting point element from about 0.01 at % to about 30 at %, inclusive, the at least one high-melting point element is selected from the group consisting of: ruthenium (Ru), iridium (Ir), tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), rhenium (Re), tantalum (Ta), niobium (Nb) or chromium (Cr); and a thin oxidation layer formed on or near an electrode surface after the spark plug has been exposed to sufficient heat in a combustion chamber, and the thin oxidation layer minimizes a balling or bridging phenomena that can otherwise take place due to excessive evaporation and re-deposition of certain constituents of the electrode material.