Latest News Releases 16 April

Solid-state batteries represent the next frontier in energy storage technology, promising higher energy density and enhanced safety than conventional lithium-ion batteries. However, a persistent challenge has hindered their commercialization: the unstable interface between lithium metal anodes and solid electrolytes. Researchers have now developed an innovative solution using a Li_xAg alloy that could finally unlock the full potential of all-solid-state lithium metal batteries (ASSLMBs).

Electric vehicles (EVs) have emerged as a cornerstone of sustainable transportation, but their widespread adoption faces a critical safety challenge: lithium plating in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Lithium plating occurs when lithium ions accumulate on the surface of a battery's negative electrode rather than intercalating properly into the graphite structure. This phenomenon typically happens during fast charging, at low temperatures, or at high states of charge, which can lead to rapid capacity degradation and even catastrophic safety incidents. Traditional detection methods either require specialized equipment or lack sufficient accuracy for real-world applications. Researchers from University of Shanghai for Science and Technology have now developed a feasible solution that could optimize EV battery safety monitoring.

WARSAW, Poland, April 16, 2025 — Researchers from the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw (IIMCB) described a new mechanism that improves the efficiency of mRNA-based therapies. The research findings will facilitate the development of novel therapeutics against cancers and infectious diseases. The scientific experiments were carried out at IIMCB, but important contributions also came from collaborators at the Faculty of Physics and Faculty of Biology of the University of Warsaw, the Medical University of Warsaw, and the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The breakthrough study by the Polish researchers has just been published in Nature. 

This study conducts a comparative analysis of the standard-sample-bracketing (SSB) method and the double-spike (DS) method, aiming to provide practical recommendations to researchers for selecting optimal analytical approaches for natural samples. The DS method shows greater potential to reveal subtle Mg isotope fractionations in processes such as equilibrium inter-mineral Mg isotope fractionation, partial melting of magma, and the possible fractionation during crystallization differentiation. Continuous optimization efforts will further improve the versatility and accuracy of the DS method, particularly through expanding its application scope to incorporate more diverse standard samples. Such expansion is critical for thoroughly investigating the fundamental causes of analytical discrepancies between DS and SSB methods in Mg isotope studies.