Vol.22 No. 1
〈The NIMS Research Center for Energy and Environmental Materials (GREEN)〉
Energy Revolution
Global warming, caused by excessive greenhouse gas emissions, is becoming increasingly serious, compelling countries around the world to fundamentally alter their energy policies. Japan has shown great resolve on this issue by declaring its commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Humans produce, store, transport and consume energy to sustain their livelihoods and activities.
Significantly reducing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted as a result of energy utilization will require a radical shift from heavy dependence on fossil fuels to power generation using renewable resources, such as sunlight and wind.
The NIMS Research Center for Energy and Environmental Materials (GREEN) has been tackling this issue by focusing its R&D on battery materials and hydrogen-related materials.
The public now widely recognizes the importance of photovoltaic power generation using highly efficient solar cells and of high-capacity rechargeable batteries for energy storage.
In addition to these technologies, GREEN has been working tirelessly to make hydrogen both a practical CO2 emission-free fuel and an energy storage and transportation medium for electricity generated from renewable resources in combination with a power-to-gas process.
GREEN will continue to deliver innovative energy-related materials with the goal of promoting sustainable energy utilization.
Key Project
Overview of research projects being carried out at the Research Center for Energy and Environmental Materials
Research Highlights
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2024.03.19
Development of Extremely Safe Solid-State Oxide Batteries
Solid-state batteries are composed entirely of solid materials. Their practical use as safer, larger-capacity electric vehicle (EV) batteries has been eagerly anticipated. Tsuyoshi Ohnishi has been using his expertise in thin film deposition to identify the reasons for these batteries’ power output limitations. He is also developing solid-state batteries using bulk materials to increase their […]
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2024.03.19
Enabling Observation of Fast-Moving Lithium Ions within Solid-State Batteries
Poor lithium ion conductivity has been the most critical issue in the development of solid-state batteries. Efforts are being made to identify its causes through observational research. Naoaki Kuwata succeeded for the first time in the world in imaging the movement of lithium ions within solid electrolytes. We asked him how he achieved it. Freezing […]
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2024.03.19
Overcoming Issues Hampering the Development of Practical Perovskite Solar Cells
Perovskite solar cells can be formed on flexible surfaces using simple processes—a significant advantage. Research is being actively pursued to expedite the development of practical perovskite solar cells. In February 2024, the NIMS Photovoltaic Materials Group led by Yasuhiro Shirai succeeded in developing the most durable and power conversion-efficient perovskite solar cell device ever. We […]
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2024.03.19
Updates on NIMS’ Magnetic Refrigeration Technology for Hydrogen Liquefaction
Urgent efforts are underway to develop technologies able to liquefy hydrogen to make its transportation and storage more efficient and economical. NIMS successfully developed and demonstrated a magnetic refrigeration system capable of liquefying hydrogen in 2021. We asked the leaders of this effort, Koji Kamiya and Kyohei Natsume, to tell us how they achieved it […]
