Abstract: The invention relates to a method for coating one or more sides of substrates with catalytically active material, comprising material deposition under vacuum in a vacuum chamber, wherein the following steps are performed: (a) loading the vacuum chamber with at least one substrate, (b) closing and evacuating the vacuum chamber, (c) cleaning the substrate by introducing a gaseous reducing agent into the vacuum chamber, (d) increasing the size of the substrate surface by depositing a vaporous component on the substrate surface, (e) coating by a coating process taken from the group of plasma coating processes, physical gas deposition, sputtering processes or the like, wherein one or more metals and/or alkaline and/or earth alkaline metals or their oxides are applied to the surface of the substrate. This method may be used, for example, for coating electrodes which are used in the chlor-alkali electrolysis.