(Press-News.org)
A hydrogen battery that operates at just 90 °C has been developed by researchers from Japan, overcoming the high-temperature and low-capacity limits of earlier methods. The device works by moving hydride ions through a solid electrolyte, allowing magnesium hydride, which acts as the anode, to repeatedly store and release hydrogen at full capacity. This battery offers a practical way to store hydrogen fuel, paving the way for hydrogen-powered vehicles and clean energy systems.
One of the most pressing challenges facing the use of hydrogen is its storage, which typically requires extremely low temperatures (−252.8 °C) and high pressures (350 to 700 bar). Instead of storing hydrogen as a gas or liquid, a more effective approach is to store it in solid materials such as magnesium hydride (MgH2), which has high theoretical storage capacity. This material can be integrated into a battery-like system where, instead of only moving electrons, hydrogen itself is stored and released during charging and discharging.
Until recently, this approach was limited by the need for high operating temperatures above 300 °C, poor reversibility of hydrogen absorption and desorption, and unwanted side reactions that reduced performance. In a significant development that may open the door to practical applications, researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo), Japan, have developed a hydrogen battery that can operate at much lower temperatures, around 90 °C. The study published in the journal Science on September 18, 2025, was conducted by a research team led by Research Scientist Dr. Takashi Hirose, Assistant Professor Naoki Matsui, and Institute Professor Ryoji Kanno at the Research Center for All-Solid-State Battery in Science Tokyo.
“We demonstrated the operation of an Mg–H2 battery as a safe and efficient hydrogen energy storage device, achieving high capacity, low temperature, and reversible hydrogen gas absorption and release,” says Matsui.
The novelty of this battery lies in its solid electrolyte, Ba0.5Ca0.35Na0.15H1.85, which can transport hydrogen ions, specifically hydride ions (H–), efficiently. This material has an anti-α-AgI-type crystal structure, well known for its superionic conductivity. In this structure, barium, calcium, and sodium occupy body-centered positions, while H– move through face-sharing tetrahedral and octahedral sites, allowing them to migrate freely. Tests showed that the material has high ionic conductivity at room temperature (2.1 × 10-5 S cm-1) and electrochemical stability, making the system effective for long-term hydrogen storage and release.
The battery design uses MgH2 as the anode and hydrogen (H2) gas as the cathode. During charging, MgH2 releases H–, which migrate through the Ba0.5Ca0.35Na0.15H1.85 electrolyte to the H2 electrode, where they are oxidized to release H2 gas. During discharging, the reverse occurs: H2 gas at the cathode is reduced to H–, which move through the electrolyte to the anode and react with Mg to form MgH2.
This process allows the cell to both store and release H2 when needed, all at manageable temperatures below 100 °C. Using this cell, the researchers were able to reach the full theoretical storage capacity of MgH2, about 2,030 mAh g-1, equivalent to 7.6 wt.% H2, over repeated cycles.
Traditional solid-state hydrogen storage methods have faced major limitations. Heat-driven absorption and desorption required very high operating temperatures between 300 and 400 °C to release or capture hydrogen, which made the process energy-intensive and impractical for everyday use. An alternative approach using electrochemical storage with liquid electrolytes at lower temperatures suffered from poor hydrogen-ion transport, which meant that the materials could not achieve anywhere near their theoretical storage capacities. As a result, both approaches fell short of providing an efficient, reversible, and low-temperature solution for hydrogen storage.
“These properties of our hydrogen storage battery were previously unattainable through conventional thermal methods or liquid electrolytes, offering a foundation for efficient hydrogen storage systems suitable for use as energy carriers,” explains Hirose.
Such a battery could be key to a hydrogen-powered future, enabling hydrogen-powered vehicles and carbon-free industries.
***
About Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo)
Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo) was established on October 1, 2024, following the merger between Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) and Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), with the mission of “Advancing science and human wellbeing to create value for and with society.”
END
According to the World Health Organisation, tuberculosis accounts for one in three deaths among people living with HIV. In fact, even when receiving effective antiretroviral treatment, HIV-positive individuals are 15 to 30 times more likely to contract tuberculosis than HIV-uninfected people.
In a study to be published in PLOS Pathogens, the CNRS-led research team1 highlights the key role played by Tat2 – a viral protein secreted by HIV-infected cells – in this hyper-vulnerability phenomenon. Studies conducted on human cells and zebrafish larvae revealed that this protein blocks the cell defence mechanism ...
Through a collaboration between U.S. and Kenyan researchers and Turkana communities of northern Kenya, scientists have uncovered key genetic adaptations underlying survival in hot and dry environments, revealing how natural selection has enabled this pastoralist population to thrive in a challenging landscape.
A new analysis of Turkana genomes through a collaboration between US and Kenyan institutions shows how the activity of key genes has changed over millennia to allow them to thrive in extreme desert conditions. The comprehensive study, published in Science, reveals how the Turkana ...
Decoding the selfish gene, from evolutionary cheaters to disease control
Scientists from the University of Sheffield have uncovered how to potentially control harmful insect populations by studying a "selfish gene" that manipulates inheritance
The new research focuses on meiotic drive, a process where a selfish gene gives itself a better chance of being passed on to the next generation, disrupting the normal 50/50 inheritance pattern
By studying the Malaysian stalk-eyed fly, researchers discovered that a selfish gene can damage rival sperm carrying a Y chromosome, leading to a population ...
Postpartum hemorrhage, severe bleeding after childbirth, is a leading cause of maternal mortality around the world. But many of these deaths can be prevented—and a real-time blood-monitoring technology called viscoelastic testing (VET) could play a crucial role. Though used in parts of Europe, VET is not yet a standard part of maternity care in the United States.
A new sweeping review from the Southern California Evidence Review Center, part of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, brings U.S. hospitals a step closer ...
Targeted editing of genetic information has advanced at an extraordinary pace in recent years. Tools such as the CRISPR-Cas9 “gene scissors” and base editing—a technique that makes precise, single-letter changes to DNA without cutting it—have already become standard in research and clinical development. These technologies are being used to treat genetic disorders, enhance crop resistance, and engineer bacteria for biotechnological purposes.
Turning the battle between bacteria and viruses into scientific progress
Researchers at the Helmholtz Institute ...
Rakesh Jain, PhD, director of the Edwin Steele Laboratories for Tumor Biology in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Andrew Werk Professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School, is senior and corresponding author of a new paper in PNAS, “Wnt Inhibition Alleviates Resistance to Anti-PD1 Therapy and Improves Anti-Tumor Immunity in Glioblastoma."
Q: How would you summarize your study for a lay audience?
Brain tumor patients with glioblastoma (GBM) face extremely limited treatment options and show poor responses to current immunotherapies. New treatment strategies are ...
Key Takeaways
University of Houston College of Optometry professor is co-leading a national $25 million NIH-funded clinical trial to delay the development of myopia.
Researchers are testing whether low-concentrate atropine drops can delay onset of myopia in children.
The more nearsighted someone becomes, the greater their risk of sight-threatening complications later as an adult.
The University of Houston is co-leading a national study, the first of its kind in the United States, ...
PHILADELPHIA, PA – The NRG Oncology NRG-GU009 (PREDICT-RT) study evaluating intensified and de-intensified concurrent radiation regimens based on the genomic risk of patients with high-risk prostate cancer completed accrual and met its accrual milestone of 2,478 patients approximately two years earlier than the trial’s anticipated accrual completion date.
“The incidence of men receiving high-risk prostate cancer diagnoses is on the increase in recent years. The PREDICT-RT study was designed to improve quality of life and outcomes for these patients while tailoring treatments to meet each individual’s needs based on their Decipher Prostate Genomic Classifier ...
COLUMBUS, Ohio – For the first time, researchers are leading a national study to see if the onset of nearsightedness can be delayed – and consequently reduced in magnitude over a lifetime – with the use of eyedrops in young children.
Scientists at The Ohio State University and the University of Houston have received two grants from the National Institutes of Health totaling $25 million to test daily drops of atropine as a nearsightedness preventive therapy in children age 6-11 years old.
“The more nearsightedness you have, the ...
As infants, humans naturally learn new words and their associations—like the fact that forks are related to bowls because both are used to consume food. In a study publishing in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on September 18, a team of animal behavior experts demonstrate that dogs can categorize objects by function, too. In a series of playful interactions with their owners, a group of Gifted Word Learner (GWL) dogs were able to distinguish between toys used for tugging versus fetching, even when the toys in question didn’t share any obvious physical ...
