The Path to Next-Generation Air-Electrodes for Ceramic Cells: Decoupling Activity and Stability

Ceramic cells, including solid oxide cells and their protonic variants, are pivotal electrochemical devices for electricity generation and chemical synthesis. However, their performance and durability are often limited by the air electrode, where sluggish oxygen reduction and evolution reactions occur. While conventional strategies focusing on optimizing bulk materials have led to significant advancements, they have reached a bottleneck because they cannot resolve the inherent activity-stability trade-off. Research efforts should shift from bulk engineering to rationally designing multiscale heterointerfaces, decoupling surface catalytic activity from bulk structural stability. Further progress also demands a shift from empirical screening to a mechanism-driven framework. Success hinges on integrating predictive computational tools with operando characterizations to understand reaction and degradation mechanisms in real time. Furthermore, adopting standardized testing protocols is crucial for reliably benchmarking progress and accelerating innovation. This integrated approach is key to developing next-generation air electrodes and realizing the full potential of ceramic cell technology.