Newswise — RICHLAND, Wash.—The Department of Energy granted early career awards to six researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory—a record number of recipients for PNNL in a single year. The prestigious award is designated for outstanding scientists early in their research careers. It delivers generous support—$2,750,000 for each of the 2025 recipients over a period of five years—allowing researchers to delve into questions that are key to DOE missions. 

“This is the first time six PNNL researchers have received Early Career Research Awards in the same year. This recognition is a testament to their promising research and the impact they stand to make in a variety of fields over the course of their careers,” said Deb Gracio, PNNL director.

PNNL recipients of the awards include chemist Richard Cox, chemical engineer Josh Elmore, computational scientist Hadi Dinpajooh, materials scientist Le Wang, and Earth scientists Avni Malhotra and Nick Ward. Their work focuses on basic science, ranging in focus from the chemistry of heavy elements like plutonium and uranium to plant and microbiological processes that could boost the development of the U.S. bioeconomy. The awards are given to scientists at DOE national laboratories, Office of Science user facilities and U.S. academic institutions. 

“The Department of Energy’s Office of Science is dedicated to supporting these promising investigators, and the Early Career Research Program provides an incredible opportunity,” said Harriet Kung, DOE’s Deputy Director of Science Programs for the Office of Science. “These awards allow them to pursue new ideas and harness the resources of the user facilities to increase the potential for breakthrough new discoveries.” 

For some, like Malhotra, the funding presents a rare opportunity to lead a new research program. “It’s an incredible opportunity to build a program from scratch that can lead to long-term discoveries and new research capabilities,” said Malhotra. Her work will shed light on biological processes that occur in soil near plant roots, which are difficult to capture and have long gone understudied. 

Similarly, Nick Ward’s research could uncover important details about a large, lingering question in the Earth science community: just how much methane and nitrous oxide could flow into or out of the world’s trees, and how might the scientific community better capture the process of forest-based trace gas exchange in their models?

For other recipients, like Wang, the funding makes possible new investigations within an established research team. Wang’s work flows out of the lab’s research in thin oxide films: materials that are an essential component of many modern electronics. Scientists like Wang grow these films in extremely thin layers, atom by atom, and study them to glean details about materials that can give rise to new, promising energy and information-processing technologies. 

“I’ve proposed to focus on a new material system known as high-entropy oxides,” said Wang. “Exploring how these multicomponent materials behave at the atomic level could bring about new functional properties,” he added. 

Dinpajooh’s work developing new AI methodologies could accelerate discovery in basic energy sciences by helping researchers better understand chemical and physical processes in electrolyte solutions. Electrolyte solutions are central to energy storage technologies, separation of critical materials, and many other applications. These AI-enabled approaches could improve prediction of key phenomena such as speciation, nucleation, and electron transfer—helping scientists tailor electrolyte performance and guide the design of next-generation materials and processes.

Other funded work, like Elmore’s research on bacterial bioproduction, could ultimately harness the power of microorganisms to produce valuable chemicals. But before those chemicals and other critical materials can be produced, researchers must work toward a predictive understanding of how microbes regulate energy use. 

By exploring how certain proteins are modified within bacterial cells, Elmore’s research could help to realize that understanding. The proposed work builds upon the project he led within PNNL’s Predictive Phenomics Initiative, which focuses largely on unraveling the mysteries of molecular function in complex biological systems.

Much of the work from this year’s recipients could deliver wide-ranging implications in diverse fields—Cox’s research into nuclear chemistry being a prime example. Cox plans to study the basic chemical behavior of a subset of heavy elements known as actinides. With key roles in nuclear energy, environmental cleanup, energy storage, and even nuclear non-proliferation, a better understanding of why actinides behave the way they do could benefit many. 

“It takes a special place like PNNL that has the access and the ability to handle these unique elements safely,” said Cox, who has pursued this line of research for roughly half a decade. “It was very exciting to find out that my proposed research was chosen, and I’m even more excited to venture out into a new scientific direction,” he added.

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About PNNL

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory draws on its distinguishing strengths in chemistry, Earth sciences, biology and data science to advance scientific knowledge and address challenges in energy resiliency and national security. Founded in 1965, PNNL is operated by Battelle and supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit the DOE Office of Science website. For more information on PNNL, visit PNNL’s News Center. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Newswise — NEWPORT NEWS, VA – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) has selected DOE’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility to lead two research projects that will develop new technologies for better managing the waste from nuclear power plants. The $8.17 million total in grants come from the Nuclear Energy Waste Transmutation Optimized Now (NEWTON) program.

The goal of both projects is to improve existing particle accelerator technologies, one of Jefferson Lab’s key areas of expertise, and repurpose them for applications beyond fundamental research.

“Based on our own success in developing cutting-edge accelerator technologies to enable scientific discoveries, we believe that there is a contribution we can make with the experience we have gained over the last few decades,” said Rongli Geng, who is a principal investigator on both grants. Geng heads the SRF Science & Technology department in Jefferson Lab’s Accelerator Operations, Research and Development division.

Accelerator-Driven Systems Save the Day

According to ARPA-E, unprocessed used nuclear fuel “reaches the radiotoxicity of natural uranium ore after approximately 100,000 years of cooling. Partitioning and recycling of uranium, plutonium, and minor actinide content of used nuclear fuel can dramatically reduce this number to around 300 years.” The NEWTON program grants are aimed at enabling this recycling effort, so that it can be applied to “the entirety of the U.S. commercial used nuclear fuel stockpile within 30 years.”

This work is aimed at moving toward economic viability of transmutation of nuclear waste, a key priority of the NEWTON program. Specifically, the NEWTON grants will support the further development of accelerator-driven systems (ADS). ADS can transform highly radioactive and long-lived nuclear waste into less radioactive, shorter-lived materials, while also producing additional electricity.

An ADS is composed of a particle accelerator that propels a beam of high-energy protons at a target material such as liquid mercury. As the protons interact with the target, the material “spalls” or releases neutrons that are directed at containers of spent nuclear fuel.

“These neutrons will interact with these unwanted isotopes and convert them into more manageable isotopes that you can either try out for some beneficial use or bury underground. Instead of having a lifetime of 100,000 years in storage, for example, you can shorten the storage years down to 300,” Geng said.

Jefferson Lab’s Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) is a state-of-the-art particle accelerator that represented a huge leap forward in efficiency when it came online for its first experiment in 1995. It was the first large-scale installation of superconducting radiofrequency technology. Today, it supports the research for more than 1,700 nuclear physicists worldwide.

SRF technology powers many of the most advanced research accelerators in the world, including CEBAF and the accelerator that powers the Spallation Neutron Source at DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Both accelerators are DOE Office of Science user facilities that enable research in the basic and applied sciences.

Improving ADS Technology

The first project aims to amp up the SRF particle accelerator components in ADS. The focus in this grant is on boosting the components’ efficiency.

In today’s world-class research machines, SRF particle accelerator cavities are made of a pure, silver-colored metal called niobium. Niobium becomes superconducting at extremely low temperatures, a key requirement for their efficiency. The downside to that efficiency is that big research machines must be supported by separate and costly cryogenic refrigeration facilities.

Recently, Jefferson Lab and other research facilities have found that coating the inside surfaces of pure niobium accelerator cavities with tin can make these components even more efficient, allowing them to not only operate at higher temperatures but also with standard commercial cooling units. This work builds on the research and development work supported by DOE’s Nuclear Physics (NP) program and NP’s Early Career Award (ECA) program.

The $4,217,721 grant will allow collaborators from Jefferson Lab, RadiaBeam Technology and Oak Ridge National Lab to further improve the cavities. The researchers plan to test niobium-tin cavities that have specifically been designed to accelerate protons for spalling neutrons. 

“Those are based on the mature Spallation Neutron Source cavity design, but we will add the new tin material on this existing design,” explained Geng. “So that will be tested together with our partners at Oak Ridge National Lab.”

A second goal of the grant is to design new SRF cavities that feature a more complicated design but will drive the machine efficiency even higher with enhanced neutron spallation.

“We’re going to design, build and test a new class of cavities called the spoke cavities,” Geng said. “Very likely, the whole machine will be based on this SRF technology, so this is the kind of innovation that is going to be an additive value.”

The Driving Force for ADS

The second project will focus on powering up the SRF accelerator cavities inside the ADS particle accelerators. For that, the researchers will turn to a common component that also powers the pops that turn ordinary corn kernels into light and fluffy popcorn: the magnetron.

In particle accelerators, magnetrons would provide the power that the SRF cavities harness to propel particle beams. The tricky part here is that the frequency of the energy supplied by the magnetron must match the frequency of the particle accelerator cavity, which is 805 Megahertz.

“We need a lot of power – 10 Megawatts or more. That’s why the efficiency becomes very critical,” Geng said.

For the $3,957,203 grant, the team will be working with Stellant Systems, one of the major players in magnetron manufacturing, to produce advanced magnetrons that can be combined to boost performance at the design frequency. The project team also includes General Atomics Energy Group and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

“Stellant is tasked to design and prototype this new magnetron, and we’re going to collaborate with General Atomics and Oak Ridge National Lab to do the power combining test,” Geng explained. “That’s the main objective: demonstrate the high power, high efficiency at 805 Megahertz.”

He added that this work builds on research and development work supported by DOE’s Accelerator R&D and Production (ARDAP) program. This program helps ensure that new and emerging accelerator technology will be available for future discovery science and societal applications. Its support was instrumental in developing the technologies that are now at a place where they are ready to be adapted to contribute to the goal of safely maintaining the waste materials produced in nuclear power generation.

Both projects are also already on the path to commercialization of these technologies. By including commercial entities in these initial phases, Jefferson Lab and its partners are helping to not only transfer the specialized knowledge and expertise that will make the resulting technologies successful, but they are also developing these technologies with considerations of the capabilities of companies who would be manufacturing ADS and supporting their operations.

According to Geng, “The challenge is to really translate the accelerator science from where we are right now in terms of technology readiness to where the technology needs to be for this application.”

Further Reading:
Jefferson Lab Research and Technology Partnerships Office
Jefferson Lab Dedicates Niobium-tin Particle Accelerator Prototype
Benchmarking CEBAF
Supercool Delivery: Final Section of Souped-Up Neutron Source Trucks Out of Jefferson Lab
Jefferson Lab technology, capabilities take center stage in construction of portion of DOE’s Spallation Neutron Source accelerator
Smoother Surfaces Make for Better Accelerators
Adapting Particle Accelerators for Industrial Work
Mixing Metals for Improved Performance
Conduction-cooled Accelerating Cavity Proves Feasible for Commercial Applications
Liquid Helium-Free SRF Cavities Could Make Industrial Applications Practical
Award enables research for more efficient accelerators
Microwave Popcorn to Particle Accelerators: Magnetrons Show Promise as Radiofrequency Source

-end-

Jefferson Science Associates, LLC, manages and operates the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, or Jefferson Lab, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. JSA is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Southeastern Universities Research Association, Inc. (SURA).

DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science

Newswise — It started with a social media post from Andrej Karpathy, one of the founders of OpenAI. Last year, he tweeted, ​“There’s a new kind of coding I call ​‘vibe coding,’ where you fully give into the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists.” Karpathy said that large language models and voice-to-text programs had gotten so sophisticated that he could just ask a model to create something and then copy and paste the code it generated to build a project or create a web app from scratch. ​“I just see stuff, say stuff, run stuff, and copy-paste stuff, and it mostly works.” 

That groovy technique might be good for patching a glitchy website or building a phone app, but can it really change the way we do science? Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory are testing vibe coding tools and techniques to see how they stand up to data-intensive scientific challenges. At a recent hackathon, researchers from across the lab gathered to learn together and test commercially available coding tools like Cursor and Warp against scientific challenges as large and hairy as the hunt for dark matter and as pressing as the optimization of nuclear power plants. 

As a long-time leader in computational science and the home of Aurora, one of the world’s fastest and most powerful supercomputers, Argonne is no stranger to grand challenges. But to solve huge problems and to process more data than ever before, researchers are working to stay at the bleeding edge of harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) for science.

Rick Stevens sees vibe coding as another way Argonne researchers can continue to speed up scientific innovation. Stevens is the associate laboratory director for Computing, Environment and Life Sciences at Argonne. He has said that scientists need to be able to work as fast as they can think. He gets frustrated by the bottlenecks of current technology. But vibe coding is a productivity hack. ​“You’re unhobbled from your coding speed,” said Stevens. 

With vibe coding, researchers can interact with large language models in real time, asking them questions by talking rather than by typing commands, and then getting usable output in seconds or minutes. Stevens compared it to having an AI co-scientist — or even a team of co-scientists — working alongside you. He challenged fellow scientists to work with the technology every day. ​“You need to get your head around how to be productive in this environment,” he said. ​“Think, play and have a blast!”

Breaking barriers between ideas and action 

Part of the excitement around vibe coding is that we don’t know how it’s going to change science. At the hackathon, the vibe in the room was playful. The group was a mix of coders and non-coders from a variety of disciplines. Instead of quietly pecking away at their keyboards, researchers were laughing, bouncing ideas off each other and confidently speaking commands to their laptops. 

The promise of AI and vibe coding isn’t just about doing science faster, Stevens explained. These tools free up scientists to be more creative, to put their energy toward things that only a human can do. ​“With these tools, you’re not bottlenecked by writing code,” he said. ​“Now, you’re focused on ideas.” 

Here are some of the ideas Argonne scientists are vibing on:

1. Prototyping software to strengthen nuclear power plants

Nuclear power plants are an integral part of America’s energy supply and a reliable source of power for the growing energy needs of AI. Nuclear engineer Yeni Li and her team are creating AI models of those power plants to help plant engineers and managers predict the best times for maintenance. That knowledge can lead to more reliable and affordable energy production. 

Li said that vibe coding will be useful for setting up the software architecture she needs to turn her ideas into prototypes. ​“These tools will help us do a few days of work in a single afternoon,” said Li. 

2. Automating workflows in bioscience

Rosemarie Wilton doesn’t do a lot of coding in her work as a molecular biologist, but she does spend a significant amount of time using software tools for data analysis. Developing Python-coded pipelines would allow her to automate her data processing workflows and integrate multiple tools seamlessly. She was delighted to see how fast vibe coding could give her the command codes she needed. ​“For a coding novice, it’s really quite amazing. It will be a time saver,” she said. 

That quick win in generating command codes led Wilton and Computational Biologist Nick Chia to think about other ways vibe coding could help. Chia mused, ​“If we have an AI agent generating hypotheses for experiments, could we create another AI agent to order the chemicals or samples needed to run those experiments?” Speeding up routine processes like these could help Wilton and her team track the spread of human pathogens with greater accuracy or engineer new enzymes and biosynthetic pathways faster than ever before. 

3. Translating coding languages in science infrastructure

Zachary Sherman is a software developer who manages open-source Python tools for the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement group. He came to the hackathon looking for ways to quickly translate other coding languages into Python, a task that could take years of tedious manual coding. 

“There are many different atmospheric tools in different coding languages and also databases with application programming interfaces for downloading and interacting with atmospheric datasets,” said Sherman. ​“Some of these tools are outdated. We think vibe coding can help us create tools in Python to interact with these interfaces to download and work with the datasets. We also think vibe coding will help us modernize these code bases so we can troubleshoot issues faster and save time and money as we maintain essential scientific infrastructure.”

4. Understanding the nature of the universe

Chiara Bissolotti is a nuclear physicist trying to understand how all known particles interact. Tim Hobbs is a theoretical particle physicist trying to identify unknown particles that can help us understand the nature of dark matter or other possible ​“new physics” in the universe. Both of their fields generate huge amounts of data from theoretical computer simulations, cosmological observations and experiments at research institutions such as CERN’s Large Hadron Collider and the planned Electron-Ion Collider at DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory. The information hidden where their data sets overlap could be the key to answering some of the biggest mysteries of the universe, from quarks to the cosmos. But merging those data sets is a monumental task if you’re coding and comparing them by hand. 

“Can the data sets talk to each other?” asked Hobbs. ​“Might they be hiding common patterns, or guide us toward novel theoretical predictions or the automation of burdensome calculations?” 

Bissolotti summed it up, ​“We have many, many ideas. Many more ideas than time. If vibe coding can help us build the scaffolding of the code or help us make the data comparisons more scalable and efficient, we can cut our time to solution by a huge factor.”

5. Collaborating on complex problems in national security

Jonathan Ozik is a computational scientist who uses supercomputers and simulations to understand large and complex systems across many scientific domains, such as biological systems, health care interventions and infectious diseases in urban settings. He said vibe coding can help him explain his work to the many collaborators from different backgrounds that he works with. He also sees it as a way that he can help himself switch between complex projects. ​“It could give me a two-minute reintroduction to the code and the context I’m working in,” he said. ​“There’s no reason not to try to make your daily tasks easier.” 

Ozik predicts vibe coding will open research up to ideas we can’t yet begin to imagine: ​“If you have fewer perceived barriers, you create new possibilities. Things that were previously infeasible in science will become common.”

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology by conducting leading-edge basic and applied research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://​ener​gy​.gov/​s​c​ience.

Newswise — The aviation industry accounts for a significant share of global carbon emissions. In response, the international community is expanding mandatory use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), which is produced from organic waste or biomass and is expected to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional fossil-based jet fuel. However, high production costs remain a major challenge, leading some airlines in Europe and Japan to pass SAF-related costs on to consumers.

Against this backdrop, a research team led by Dr. Yun-Jo Lee at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), in collaboration with EN2CORE Technology Co., Ltd., has successfully demonstrated an integrated process that converts landfill gas generated from organic waste—such as food waste—into aviation fuel.

Currently, the refining industry mainly produces SAF from used cooking oil. However, used cooking oil is limited in supply and is also used for other applications such as biodiesel, making it relatively expensive and difficult to secure in large quantities. In contrast, landfill gas generated from food waste and livestock manure is abundant and inexpensive. This study represents the first domestic demonstration of aviation fuel production using landfill gas as the primary feedstock.

Producing aviation fuel from landfill gas requires overcoming two major challenges: purifying the gas to obtain suitable intermediates and improving the efficiency of converting gaseous intermediates into liquid fuels. The research team addressed these challenges by developing an integrated process encompassing landfill gas pretreatment, syngas production, and catalytic conversion of syngas into liquid fuels.

EN2CORE Technology was responsible for the upstream processes. Landfill gas collected from waste disposal sites is desulfurized and treated using membrane-based separation to reduce excess carbon dioxide. The purified gas is then converted into synthesis gas—containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen—using a proprietary plasma reforming reactor, and subsequently supplied to KRICT.

KRICT applied the Fischer–Tropsch process to convert the gaseous syngas into liquid fuels. In this process, hydrogen and carbon react on a catalyst surface to form hydrocarbon chains. Hydrocarbons of appropriate chain length become liquid fuels, while longer chains form solid byproducts such as wax. By employing zeolite- and cobalt-based catalysts, KRICT significantly improved selectivity toward liquid fuels rather than solid byproducts.

A key innovation of this work is the application of a microchannel reactor. Excessive heat generation during aviation fuel synthesis can damage catalysts and reduce process stability. The microchannel reactor developed by the team features alternating layers of catalyst and coolant channels, enabling rapid heat removal and suppression of thermal runaway. Through integrated and modular design, the reactor volume was reduced by up to one-tenth compared to conventional systems. Production capacity can be expanded simply by adding modules.

For demonstration purposes, the team constructed an integrated pilot facility on a landfill site in Dalseong-gun, Daegu. The facility, approximately 100 square meters in size and comparable to a two-story detached house, successfully produced 100 kg of sustainable aviation fuel per day, achieving a liquid fuel selectivity exceeding 75 percent. The team is currently optimizing long-term operation conditions and further enhancing catalyst and reactor performance.

This achievement demonstrates the potential to convert everyday waste-derived gases from food waste and sewage sludge into high-value aviation fuel. Moreover, it shows that aviation fuel production—previously limited to large-scale centralized plants—can be realized at local landfills or small waste treatment facilities. The technology is therefore expected to contribute to the establishment of decentralized SAF production systems and strengthen the competitiveness of Korea’s SAF industry.

The research team noted that the work is significant in securing an integrated process technology that converts organic waste into high-value fuels. KRICT President Young-Kuk Lee stated that the technology has strong potential to become a representative solution capable of achieving both carbon neutrality and a circular economy.

The development of two catalysts enabling selective production of liquid fuels was published as an inside cover article in ACS Catalysis (November 2025) and in Fuel (January 2026).

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KRICT is a non-profit research institute funded by the Korean government. Since its foundation in 1976, KRICT has played a leading role in advancing national chemical technologies in the fields of chemistry, material science, environmental science, and chemical engineering. Now, KRICT is moving forward to become a globally leading research institute tackling the most challenging issues in the field of Chemistry and Engineering and will continue to fulfill its role in developing chemical technologies that benefit the entire world and contribute to maintaining a healthy planet. More detailed information on KRICT can be found at https://www.krict.re.kr/eng/

This research was supported by “Development of integrated demonstration process for the production of bio naphtha/lubricant oil from organic waste-derived biogas” (Project No. RS-2022-NR068680) through the National Research Foundation (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT), Republic of Korea.

Newswise — Lithium-ion batteries serve as the core energy storage devices in various industries and everyday products, including smartphones, electric vehicles, and ESS (energy storage systems). However, conventional lithium-ion batteries use liquid electrolytes, posing a risk of fire or explosion when subjected to external impact or overheating. Recent electric vehicle fire incidents have heightened concerns about their safety. As an alternative to overcome these limitations, ‘all-solid-state batteries’-which use non-flammable solid materials as electrolytes-are gaining attention as next-generation battery technology.

However, amorphous solid electrolytes-the core material for all-solid-state batteries-have faced limitations in analyzing lithium-ion transport mechanisms due to the irregularity of their internal structure. Consequently, performance improvements have been achieved empirically by altering electrolyte composition or compression conditions, making it difficult to systematically explain the causes of performance differences.

A research team led by Dr. Byungju, Lee at the Computational Science Research Center of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President Sang-Rok Oh) has identified key factors governing lithium ion movement in amorphous solid electrolytes through AI-based atomic simulations. The team analyzed lithium-ion movement by distinguishing it into ‘ease of movement between sites’ and ‘connectivity of movement paths’. They confirmed that overall performance is more significantly influenced by the difficulty of ions moving from one site to the next than by path connectivity.

In fact, while ion conductivity performance varied by up to fivefold depending on lithium ion mobility, the effect of pathway connectivity was limited to approximately a twofold difference. This provides a quantitative basis for interpreting performance variations that were previously difficult to explain due to the amorphous structure. Furthermore, the research team identified specific structural conditions that enhance lithium ion mobility. The higher the proportion of structures where four sulfur atoms surrounded a lithium ion, the faster the ion migration became. Optimal performance was achieved when the size of the internal void space fell within an appropriate range. Notably, excessively large voids actually hindered ion migration and degraded performance. This finding overturns the conventional wisdom that ‘lower density leads to higher conductivity’.

The results of this study can be directly applied to the design and manufacturing process of solid electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries. Simply controlling the internal structure by adjusting the electrolyte composition ratio or compression/molding conditions can improve ionic conductivity performance without requiring additional material changes, making it highly applicable in industrial settings. Furthermore, the analytical method proposed in this study can be extended to the development of various solid electrolyte materials. By pre-selecting high-performance candidate materials, it can dramatically enhance performance prediction and accelerate material development speed. This is expected to advance the commercialization of all-solid-state batteries in fields where safety and energy density are critical, such as electric vehicles and energy storage devices.

Dr. Byungju, Lee of KIST stated, “This research is significant in that it clearly identifies the key factors determining the performance of amorphous solid electrolytes.” He added, “As it presents design criteria enabling systematic improvement of material performance, we expect it to contribute to accelerating the commercialization of all-solid-state batteries.”

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KIST was established in 1966 as the first government-funded research institute in Korea. KIST now strives to solve national and social challenges and secure growth engines through leading and innovative research. For more information, please visit KIST’s website at https://kist.re.kr//eng/index.do

This research was conducted as part of KIST’s major projects and the Materials Global Young Connect Project (RS-2024-00407995), supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Bae Kyung-hoon). The research findings were published in the latest issue of the international journal Advanced Energy Materials (IF 26.0, JCR field 2.5%).