Chubu University of Japan has developed a new air electrode material for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) electrodes. This air electrode combines lanthanum nickel oxide with thorium oxide-doped cerium oxide to achieve high performance.
SOFC is gaining popularity as a domestic fuel cell system "ENE-FARM" with an operating temperature of about 750 ° C. The newly developed air electrode material can reduce the working temperature to slightly above 500 ° C. As a result, a ferrite-based stainless steel that is inexpensive but susceptible to high-temperature corrosion can be used, thereby significantly reducing costs. As the operating temperature decreases, the startability also improves, so mobile bodies can also be used, such as auxiliary power supplies (APU) for aircrafts and extended-range engines for electric vehicles.