NEU-1, a new lunar soil simulant mined from the Longgang Volcano Group in Jilin Province of China, was electrochemically split into Al-Si alloy and oxygen in molten 52.7wt%NaF-47.3wt%AlF₃ at 1233 K using 56wt%Fe-44wt%Ni metallic inert anode. The anode gas was analyzed by gas chromatography, while the cathode product obtained by galvanostatic electrolysis for 8 h was analyzed by means of X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometer. The results showed that the phase compositions of the cathode product are Al and Si, while the metallic mass fraction is 56.70 wt% Al, 40.80 wt% Si, 2.25 wt% Fe, and 0.25 wt% Ti, respectively. Besides, the outlet gas on the anode during electrolysis is pure oxygen according to the analysis of gas chromatography.

Fe-Ni-based alloys are promising materials of inert anodes for use in aluminum electrolysis and adding Al can further improve the corrosion resistance. Fe-Ni-Al alloys with 1.4–8.6 wt.% Al were prepared by vacuum melting, and their corrosion as anodes during the production of pure Al (98.14–99.68%) by electrolysis was studied in a melt of NaF-AlF₃-NaCl-CaF₂-Al₂O₃ at 850 °C. The corrosion layer on the anode contains fluorine salt that corrodes the oxide film, and the inner layer is Ni-enriched while the outer layer is enriched with Fe and O due to the preferential oxidation of Fe. The electrolytically deposited oxide films on Fe-Ni-Al alloys with different compositions contains Fe₂O₃, Fe₃O₄, NiO, Al₂O₃, FeAl₂O₄, NiFe₂O₄, and other protective oxides, making the alloys very corrosion-resistant. The linear voltammetric curves can be divided into three parts: active dissolution, passivation transition, and over-passivation zones. The alloy with 3.9 wt.% Al (57.9Fe-38.2Ni-3.9Al) has a relatively negative passivation potential, and therefore, is easier to become passivated. According to the Tafel curve, this alloy shows a relatively positive corrosion potential as anode (1.20 V vs. Al/AlF₃), and thus can form a protective film.