The device uses molybdenum and nickel as its chief raw materials. Power generation efficiency of a fuel cell using the new catalyst is only about 1/10 that of a fuel cell using conventional platinum catalysts. But manufacturing costs can be reduced to 1/1,000 the current level, the researchers report.

The group, which is led by Masatoshi Nagai of the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, plans to refine the material and raise power generation efficiency to roughly 30 per cent of a platinum catalyst.

The new catalyst is used on the anode of polymer electrolyte fuel cells, which serve as power sources for automobiles and homes. In tests, researchers continued to use a platinum catalyst on the cathode.

The new catalyst is made by mixing ammonium molybdate and nickel nitrate in an aqueous solution and then drying it. The dried product then undergoes firing to create an oxide, which is placed in a quartz reactor and heated to 550-800 C. Methane and hydrogen are blown in and the substance is carbonized.

The resulting carbide is mixed with carbon in a solvent.

About 100 grams of platinum catalyst is required for an automobile polymer electrolyte fuel cell with an output of 100kw. Given the high cost of the metal, the electrolyte accounts for about 20 per cent of the manufacturing costs of such a fuel cell. If the new catalyst is made practical, it may be useful for applications where cost is more important than efficiency, such as in home-use fuel cells.