New study challenges assumptions about solid-state lithium metal batteries

Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR), Tohoku University

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Illustration of an LLZO-based, bipolar-stacked, all-solid-state Li-metal pouch cell. The parameters of the cell components are selected to approximate the practical limits for calculating the cell's energy density. 

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Credit: Eric Jianfeng Cheng et al.

A recent study evaluating garnet-type solid electrolytes for lithium metal batteries finds that their expected energy density advantages may be overstated. The research reveals that an all-solid-state lithium metal battery (ASSLMB) using lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide (LLZO) would achieve a gravimetric energy density of only 272 Wh/kg, a marginal increase over the 250-270 Wh/kg offered by current lithium-ion batteries. Given the high production costs and manufacturing challenges associated with LLZO, the findings suggest that composite or quasi-solid-state electrolytes may be more viable alternatives.

"All-solid-state lithium metal batteries have been viewed as the future of energy storage, but our study shows that LLZO-based designs may not provide the expected leap in energy density," said Eric Jianfeng Cheng, lead author of the study and researcher at WPI-AIMR, Tohoku University. "Even under ideal conditions, the gains are limited, and the cost and manufacturing challenges are significant."

Solid-state lithium metal batteries are considered a promising next-generation technology due to their potential for improved safety and energy performance. LLZO, a leading candidate for solid electrolytes, is valued for its stability and ionic conductivity. However, detailed modeling of a practical LLZO-based pouch cell challenges the assumption that this material significantly boosts energy density. The study finds that even with an ultrathin 25 μm LLZO ceramic separator and a high-capacity cathode, the battery's performance remains only slightly ahead of the best conventional lithium-ion cells.

One key issue highlighted in the study is LLZO's density, which increases the overall cell mass and reduces expected energy benefits. Although the volumetric energy density reaches approximately 823 Wh/L, the added weight and cost of LLZO hinder its practicality. Additionally, the material's brittleness, difficulty in fabricating defect-free thin sheets, and issues with lithium dendrites and voids at the interface further complicate large-scale implementation. "LLZO is an excellent material from a stability standpoint, but its mechanical limitations and weight penalty create serious barriers to commercialization," Cheng explained.

As an alternative, researchers are exploring hybrid approaches that integrate LLZO with other materials. One promising strategy involves LLZO-in-polymer composite electrolytes, which retain high ionic conductivity while improving flexibility and manufacturability. Another approach is quasi-solid-state LLZO electrolytes, which incorporate a small amount of liquid electrolyte to enhance ionic transport and structural integrity. These hybrid designs have demonstrated improved long-term stability.

"Instead of focusing on a fully ceramic solid-state battery, we need to rethink our approach," said Cheng. "By combining LLZO with polymer or gel-based electrolytes, we can improve manufacturability, reduce weight, and still maintain high performance."

The study, published in Energy Storage Materials, was conducted in collaboration with researchers from Tohoku University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, MIT, UW Madison, Johns Hopkins University, and St Andrews University. By highlighting the limitations of fully ceramic solid-state batteries, the research emphasizes the need for practical engineering solutions that balance energy performance, manufacturability, and cost.

Pie chart of the weight distribution estimation of an LLZO-based all-solid-state Li metal pouch cell.

Credit

Eric Jianfeng Cheng et al.

About the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI)

The WPI program was launched in 2007 by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to foster globally visible research centers boasting the highest standards and outstanding research environments. Numbering more than a dozen and operating at institutions throughout the country, these centers are given a high degree of autonomy, allowing them to engage in innovative modes of management and research. The program is administered by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

See the latest research news from the centers at the WPI News Portal: https://www.eurekalert.org/newsportal/WPI
Main WPI program site:  www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-toplevel

Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR)
Tohoku University
Establishing a World-Leading Research Center for Materials Science
AIMR aims to contribute to society through its actions as a world-leading research center for materials science and push the boundaries of research frontiers. To this end, the institute gathers excellent researchers in the fields of physics, chemistry, materials science, engineering, and mathematics and provides a world-class research environment.

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Journal

Energy Storage Materials

DOI

10.1016/j.ensm.2024.103970 

 

Charité study yields new data on Mpox vaccine effectiveness

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

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Mpox virus particles (colorized electron microscopic image) © National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

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Credit: © National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

A study at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin has found that a single dose of the Imvanex vaccine provides protection against Mpox with 84% effectiveness. For people with HIV, however, a single dose of the vaccine fails to offer sufficient protection. All at-risk groups, and people with HIV in particular, should therefore receive the second dose of the vaccine as recommended. The results of the study have now been published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.*

Since a wave of infections with the Mpox virus swept around the world in 2022, Germany’s Standing Commission on Vaccination (STIKO) has recommended that people at an elevated risk of Mpox infection receive an Imvanex vaccination. Originally developed to protect against smallpox, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved Imvanex for use to protect against Mpox in July 2022 in response to the public health emergency. The Mpox virus is related to the original smallpox virus (Variola major). The EMA’s decision to approve Imvanex was based on laboratory data showing that the vaccine offers cross-protection. Until now, however, the extent of this protective effect was not clear, especially for at-risk groups.

Comprehensive study with over 9,300 participants

The EMA commissioned a team led by Prof. Leif Erik Sander, Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Critical Care Medicine at Charité and a research group leader at the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH), to conduct a comprehensive study into the vaccine’s effectiveness against Mpox. This study compared effectiveness in people with and without HIV for the first time. “Our results confirm that a single dose of the vaccine provides good protection against Mpox, at least for a short time,” says Sander. “However, this only applies to people not living with HIV. Unfortunately, we found that people with HIV – even those taking adequate medication – are not sufficiently protected by a single dose.”

Conducted between July 2022 and December 2023, the study examined over 9,300 men and trans people who reported to have sex with changing men or trans people. These are among the groups for which STIKO recommends vaccination. Half of the study participants received a single dose of the Imvanex vaccine, while the other half remained unvaccinated. Both groups were monitored for two months on average to determine how many participants contracted an Mpox infection. 

One dose protects those with a healthy immune system

Far fewer Mpox cases were recorded for HIV-negative participants in the vaccinated group than in the unvaccinated group, with the vaccine achieving 84% effectiveness. “That is a very good figure, which is likely increased even further by the second vaccine dose,” says Sander. However, due to the significant drop in infections in the second half of 2022, the study was unable to determine the additional effect of a second vaccine dose.

By contrast, for people living with HIV, the study only identified a small, statistically insignificant protective effect. “The reason is presumably that developing immune protection after vaccination requires specific immune cells called T cells,” explains the infectious disease expert. “These T cells often appear at lower levels in people with HIV and are not fully functional, which translates to a weaker immune response. This also corresponds to our observation that these participants experienced fewer local and systemic side effects after receiving the vaccine.”

Two vaccine doses recommended for all, especially for people with HIV

“We assume that people living with HIV develop protection against Mpox after the second vaccine dose, and urgently advise these people to receive the two vaccine doses recommended by the STIKO,” emphasizes Prof. Florian Kurth. Head of the Clinical Infection Research Group at Charité, Kurth played a leading role in the study alongside Sander. “We recommend that people in all other at-risk groups also complete the two-dose regimen. The immune system typically develops longer-lasting immune protection when exposed to the vaccine on more than one occasion.” Further studies will be required to determine the precise extent of the protective effect in different groups following two vaccine doses.

The research team observed that vaccinated participants who still contracted the virus experienced milder symptoms. They developed fewer pox lesions, which also healed more quickly, and were less likely to report signs of systemic disease such as fever. “We assume that the second vaccination further reduces the manifestation of such symptoms,” says Kurth. “Fewer pox lesions presumably also reduces the risk of transmitting the virus. Full vaccination should therefore ward off Mpox outbreaks.”

Subjects tolerate vaccine well

The researchers also examined the tolerability and safety of the Mpox vaccine in over 6,500 people. The most common reaction reported was pain around the injection site. Less than 3% of vaccinated participants reported more pronounced symptoms, such as fever, headache, muscle pain, nausea or diarrhea. “The Mpox vaccine is, therefore, safe and well tolerated overall,” summarized Kurth. “It is important to note that immune protection develops fully around 14 days after vaccination. In addition, people should take general preventive measures, such as using condoms – including to protect against other sexually transmitted diseases.”

The results on vaccine protection relate to clade IIb of the Mpox virus, which circulated in Germany during the study period. However, clade IIb is closely related to clade I, which is currently rampant in Central Africa and neighboring regions, so the researchers expect a very high level of cross-protection. Consequently, the results of this study could also be relevant for the current clade I outbreak in Africa. It remains unclear how long the protection from the vaccine lasts. In the next stage, the research team plans to conduct long-term studies and investigate the effects of a third vaccine dose.

 

*Hillus D et al. Safety and effectiveness of MVA-BN vaccination against Mpox: A combined prospective and retrospective cohort study (SEMVAc/TEMVAc). Lancet Infect Dis 2025 mmm dd. doi: xxx

About Mpox
Mpox (known until 2022 as monkeypox) is an illness caused by the monkeypox virus, which is related to the human smallpox virus. Its symptoms are similar to those caused by smallpox, which was eradicated in 1980. While smallpox was a life-threatening disease, Mpox generally runs a milder course. People typically experience fever, headache, muscle pain, back ache and swollen lymph nodes. After a few days, pustules appear on the skin and mucous membranes. These pocks can be extremely itchy and painful. Mpox-related deaths are very rare and primarily occur in children and immunocompromised people. Nevertheless, a severe bout of the disease can result in pronounced scarring and long-term harm. The Mpox virus is transmitted through close physical contact.

About Mpox infection rates
Due to genetic variations, the Mpox virus is classified in groups known as clades. In May 2022, there was a global outbreak of clade IIb, with the virus spreading primarily through close physical contact and sexual contact. Since then, over 100,000 cases have been recorded across 122 countries. While infection rates in Europe have fallen considerably since the autumn of 2022, a number of countries – such as the USA, Brazil and Argentina – exceeded 1,000 recorded cases in 2024, some to a significant extent. New clade IIb cases were recently reported in Australia, South Africa and South America. In addition, increasing numbers of clade I Mpox infections (including a new Ib variant) have been recorded in Africa since 2023, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the clade II outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), followed by a corresponding declaration for the clade I outbreak in 2024.

About the Mpox vaccine
Germany’s Standing Commission on Vaccination (STIKO) recommends vaccination against Mpox with Imvanex, a vaccine approved in the EU. It was approved for use against smallpox in 2013 and for use against Mpox in July 2022. It has been approved for use against Mpox in the USA and Canada for several years under the names Jynneos and Imvamune. It is a live-attenuated vaccine that contains viruses incapable of replicating in the human body. The vaccine is based on a weakened cowpox virus (modified Vaccinia virus Ankara, MVA vaccine), which serves as a sort of prototype pox virus and can thereby induce cross-protection against other pox viruses. The vaccine is recommended for groups including men aged 18 and over who have sex with men and frequently change their sexual partner, as well as laboratory personnel who work with infectious Mpox samples. Basic immunization consists of two vaccine doses.

About the study
The study was divided into two study arms to examine the tolerability and effectiveness of the Mpox vaccine. In the study arm examining safety and tolerability, researchers prospectively examined and regularly surveyed roughly 6,500 people. In the study arm examining effectiveness, researchers applied a rolling cohort design in an emulated target trial. Retrospective comparison of data on over 9,300 vaccinated and unvaccinated subjects with comparable demographic and clinical characteristics simulated a randomized clinical trial. Across all participants – with and without HIV – the average effectiveness of the vaccine stood at 58%. This study was funded by the BIH and the EMA.

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Journal

The Lancet Infectious Diseases

DOI

10.1016/S1473-3099(25)00082-9 

 

Good Sphagnum moss layer growth improves carbon sequestration in restored peatlands

University of Eastern Finland

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In a recent study published in Restoration Ecology, researchers from the University of Eastern Finland measured post-restoration Sphagnum moss layer growth on 18 peatland sites in Finland 10 years after restoration. According to the study, a thick Sphagnum moss layer forms rapidly during the first 10 years after successful restoration, with carbon sequestration rates commonly exceeding those of pristine bogs.

The average thickness of the Sphagnum moss layers was 15 cm, and the amount of carbon they sequestered corresponds to approximately 48 tons of carbon dioxide per hectare. This amount is greater than what could be expected based on previous studies.

The best Sphagnum moss growth was observed in nutrient-poor sites in Southern Finland that had been restored to open bogs. Such peatlands are most commonly selected for restoration, and their timber production is generally poor when they are drained. Another important observation was an increase in the water-table depth, which was caused by the thickness growth of the Sphagnum moss layer. This could possibly mitigate methane emissions from the restored peatland.

The climate impact of peatland restoration is a much-discussed topic, as modelling studies have not shown a cooling effect in the case of forestry-drained peatland restoration in Finland. This is partly due to a lack of research findings from restored peatlands. These newly published results are promising in terms of the climate impact; however, they only fill a fraction of the knowledge gap. The results can help improve restoration efforts towards the desired climate impact.

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Journal

Restoration Ecology

DOI

10.1111/rec.70008 

Article Title

Sphagnum moss layer growth after restoration of forestry-drained peatlands in Finland

 

Unveiling the potential of Japanese bird banding data for avian movement research

Researchers reveal how applying statistical methods to Japanese bird banding data can revolutionize the conservation of East Asian migratory birds

Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute

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Researchers from Japan highlight the untapped potential of Japan’s extensive bird banding data, emphasizing its underutilization in ornithology. By applying advanced statistical methods to this "big data," they aim to revolutionize the conservation of East Asian migratory birds and enhance our understanding of their movement patterns.

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Credit: Dr. Daisuke Aoki from Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Japan

Bird banding has long been a valuable tool for studying the movements of migratory birds, providing essential insights into their migration patterns, behavior, and ecology. However, despite decades of bird banding efforts in Japan, the extensive dataset accumulated over the years has not been fully utilized in avian movement research. Most migration studies have focused on data from Europe and North America, leaving Japan’s extensive dataset relatively underexplored. This gap in utilizing Japanese bird banding data has limited our understanding of avian movements, particularly in the East Asian-Australian Flyway, one of the world’s richest migratory corridors in terms of species diversity.

To address this gap, Dr. Daisuke Aoki, a tenure-track researcher from the Wildlife Ecology Lab, Department of Wildlife Biology, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Japan, in collaboration with Ms. Mariko Senda from the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology, Japan, conducted a systematic review of Japanese bird banding data spanning over a century, utilizing archives from the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology. Their study, published in Volume 24 Issue 1 of ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE on 11 February 2025, aimed to identify how the extensive dataset could be better utilized in avian movement research, especially through the application of advanced statistical methods.

Their findings revealed that despite Japan’s long history of bird banding, much of the data has been underused, with surprisingly few publications focused on spatial movement studies. Most of the existing research relied on this data for historical records of banding or descriptive studies on bird migration. “None of the spatial movement inferences used the banding recovery data in a fully statistically integrated way,” says Dr. Aoki, emphasizing the missed opportunity to apply modern statistical methods to understand the spatial movement of Japanese migratory birds.

Additionally, the results showed that Japanese banding data had been used mostly by local banders, indicating poor accessibility and low attractiveness to non-Japanese and non-bander researchers. Factors such as language barriers and a lack of international collaboration may contribute to this underuse.

“Our study will help society acknowledge the utility of existing biodiversity data in Asia, such as the Japanese bird banding data, and address the issues related to biodiversity and conservation,” says Dr. Aoki.

The researchers emphasize that for Japanese bird banding data to become more visible and accessible to the global scientific community, a comprehensive data organization and analytical effort is essential. Drawing from the success of the Japanese genetic barcoding project, which fostered international collaborations, organizing and sharing bird banding data could promote global cooperation and expand our understanding of avian migration. This approach would enable researchers worldwide to challenge traditional hypotheses based primarily on European and North American studies, addressing gaps in bird ecology and evolution.

In addition, they propose combining traditional bird banding data with newer tracking technologies, such as global positioning systems and radar, to overcome the limitations of both methods. While modern technologies offer real-time data, they are often costly and limited in geographic coverage. By integrating these with long-term banding data, researchers could gain a more comprehensive understanding of avian movement across large distances.

Overall, this study reveals the untapped potential of Japanese bird banding data in advancing our understanding of avian movement. “By applying modern statistical methods and improving data accessibility for international researchers, Japan’s bird banding records could play a critical role in informing conservation efforts for migratory birds,” concludes Dr. Aoki.

 

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Reference

Title of original paper: Knowledge Gaps Remaining in the Spatial Analysis of Bird Banding Data: a Review, Focusing on Use of Japanese Data

Journal: ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE

DOI: 10.2326/osj.24.69

 

About Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Japan

Inaugurated as a unit for forest experiments in Tokyo in 1905, the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI) was largely reorganized in 1988, when it received its current name. During its history of over 110 years, the FFPRI has been conducting interdisciplinary research on forests, forestry, the timber industry, and tree breeding with an agenda based around sustainable development goals. The FFPRI is currently looking to collaborate with more diverse stakeholders, such as international organizations, government agencies, and industry and academic leaders, to conduct much needed forest-related research and make sure we preserve these renewable resources.

Website: https://www.ffpri.affrc.go.jp/ffpri/en/index.html

About Dr. Daisuke Aoki from Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Japan

Dr. Daisuke Aoki is currently a tenure-track researcher at the Wildlife Ecology Lab, Department of Wildlife Biology, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Japan. Dr. Aoki holds a Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, Japan. He has received multiple awards, including the 65th Ecological Society of Japan English Presentation Best Award, the 34th Society of Population Ecology Excellent Poster Award, and the Ornithological Society of Japan Poster Award. He has also contributed to several scientific journals, reviewing for prominent publications such as the Journal of Biogeography and Ecology and Evolution.

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Journal

ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE

DOI

10.2326/osj.24.69 

Method of Research

Systematic review

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Knowledge Gaps Remaining in the Spatial Analysis of Bird Banding Data: a Review, Focusing on Use of Japanese Data

A study highlights the naturalness of the seasonal time change and questions the basis of modern criticism of the practice

University of Seville

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What is the best time to start the day in view of the variation in when the sun rises? This is the problem analysed by Jorge Mira Pérez and José María Martín Olalla, lecturers at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) and the University of Seville (US), in a study that has just been published in the journal Royal Society Open Science (RSOS). In it, they analyse the physiological and social foundations of the practice of seasonal time change and review its impact on health.

The study takes as an example the cities of Bogotá and New York (see picture below), which are located on the same meridian but at different latitudes, to point out that in winter the sunrise is delayed by an hour-and-a-half in the latter city. “This delays life in New York during the winter, but in spring the delay in sunrise has disappeared and activity can start earlier. Putting the clocks forward in spring facilitates this adaptation,” says Jorge Mira. The study includes several current and past examples of societies with delayed activity in winter and earlier activity in summer, in line with the synchronising role of morning light for our bodies. “Modern societies have several synchronisation mechanisms. For example, the use of a standard time in a large region, or the use of pre-set schedules. Time shifting is another synchronising mechanism, which adapts human activity to the corresponding season,” says Martín-Olalla. The authors suggest that the first weekend in April and the first weekend in October would be the most appropriate time for the clocks to change.

The study published in RSOS reviews the impact of the seasonal time change on human health, considering two types of effects: those associated with the change itself, and those associated with the period during which daylight-saving time is in effect. In the first case, the authors point out that published studies have not analysed the problem epidemiologically and that the evidence suggests that the impact is very weak. “A very comprehensive study in the United States reports a 5% increase in traffic accidents in the week following the clocks going forward in spring but overlooks the fact that from one year to the next, weekly traffic accidents fluctuate by 15%. Changing the clocks has an impact, but it is very weak compared to the other factors influencing the problem,” Mira points out. “Changing the clocks has worked for a hundred years without serious disruption. The problem is that in recent years it has been associated only with energy saving when, in fact, it is a natural adaptation mechanism,” stresses Martín-Olalla.

In the second case, the authors point out that the current controversy stems from an erroneous interpretation of the seasonal time change. According to Martín-Olalla and Mira, changing the clocks is not a time zone jump, nor does it cause the population to live adjusted to the sun in another place, nor does it cause their rhythm of life to be misaligned with respect to the sun. “In a way it is the other way round, changing the clocks aligns the start of activity with the sunrise,” Mira points out. “In 1810 the Spanish National Assembly already made this kind of seasonal adaptation and there were no time zones or anything like that. Social life is simply reorganised because the length of the day in summer makes it possible to do things in the morning earlier than in winter,” stresses Martín-Olalla.

Mira and Martin-Olalla are highly critical of studies that report long-term effects of seasonal time change and associate it with increased risk of cancer, sleep loss, obesity, etc. They point out that these studies analyse data within the same time zone in the US or Russia, but that says nothing about the seasonal time change. “They study what happens, for example, in New York and Detroit, at the extremes of the US East Coast time zone, but on the basis of annual cumulative incidences. The time difference between the two cities is always the same throughout the year. Therefore, it cannot be inferred that the effects they report are associated with changing the clocks, which is seasonal in nature.”

The study concludes by analysing why changing the clocks succeeded in the 20th century and what difficulties medical associations now face as they seek to eliminate the practice and adopt permanent winter time. They point out that the main effect of the measure was to increase daylight hours during the leisure segment in spring and summer. “People agreed that they would go to work earlier in spring and summer if it meant they could leave earlier and could enjoy the evening more by going for a walk, going to the park or the beach - it seems obvious, but it has to be said,” Mira points out. By contrast, the elimination of changing the clocks faces a difficult dilemma when it comes to choosing which time to keep: to bring the start time forward in winter, when the sun rises the latest, or to bring the start time back in summer, when the sun rises the earliest. “Either choice plays against human physiology, which is why ending clock changes has proven difficult in both Europe and America” says Martín-Olalla. For his part Mira points out that “they have opened a Pandora’s box, they have exacerbated criticism of a natural practice that works reasonably well and now fear that the remedy is worse than the disease.”  

 

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Journal

Royal Society Open Science

DOI

10.1098/rsos.240727 

Article Title

Assessing the best hour to start the day: an appraisal of seasonal daylight saving time

Article Publication Date

19-Mar-2025