Announcements

Name: Dr. Xiangwen Wang
Affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
Research interests: computational chemistry; electrolytes; batteries; deep learning; state-of-charge estimation

The following is a short interview with Dr. Xiangwen Wang:

1. Could you briefly introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a little bit about your fields of interest?
I am a Research Associate at the University of Manchester, working at the interface of physically informed AI, molecular modelling, and materials discovery. My research focuses on developing interpretable machine-learning and simulation approaches to uncover structure–property relationships and accelerate the design of functional systems.

2. Which research topics do you think will be of particular interest to the research community in the coming years?
I think research on data-driven materials discovery, especially the combination of AI with physics-based and chemical understanding, will attract growing interest in the coming years. In the battery field, topics such as electrolyte design, interfacial chemistry, and the development of more sustainable and high-performance energy-storage materials are likely to remain particularly important.

3. What is your opinion of the open access model of publishing?
Open access publishing is very valuable because it makes research more visible and accessible to a wider community, including researchers from different disciplines and institutions. It is also important to ensure that the publishing process maintains high standards of quality and fairness.

4. What do you think are the main criteria that should be taken seriously in the process of reviewing manuscripts?
I think the most important criteria are originality, scientific rigour, and whether the work is complete and balanced, without overstating its contribution. A good review should also consider clarity, reproducibility, and whether the conclusions are well supported by the data.

5. What’s the secret to a happy scientific life? Have you ever encountered any difficulties conducting research and how did you overcome them?
The secret to a happy scientific life is to stay curious, be patient, and enjoy the process of learning and discovery. Of course, research can be difficult, especially when working across different fields or when results do not come as expected, but I have learned to overcome these challenges by breaking problems into smaller steps, keeping an open mind, and learning through discussion and collaboration.

6. As the winner of this award, is there something you would like to express your gratitude to or someone you would like to thank the most?
I am very grateful to the editors and the Batteries journal for this recognition. I also hope that through reviewing and engaging with the journal, I can continue learning from high-quality research and contribute to the community in a meaningful way.

Name: Dr. Kai Zhang
Affiliation: School of Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Research interests: chemo-mechanical coupling; solid mechanics; lithium-ion battery

Dr. Zhang is an Associate Professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Tongji University. He received his bachelor’s degree in engineering mechanics in 2007 and his PhD in mechanics in 2011 from Tongji University, respectively. He has long been engaged in fundamental theoretical and applied research on the chemo-mechanical coupling of lithium-ion batteries. He has published more than 100 SCI papers in total, among which more than 50 are first- or corresponding-author papers, and two of his papers have been selected as ESI highly cited papers.

The following is an interview with Dr. Kai Zhang:

1. Could you briefly introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a little bit about your fields of interest?
I am an Associate Professor at the School of Aerospace Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Tongji University. My primary research field is solid mechanics, with a strong focus on the interdisciplinary area where mechanics intersects with battery technology. Specifically, I investigate the chemo-mechanical coupling between the mechanical behavior and electrochemical processes of electrode materials.

2. Could you elaborate on how you initially learned about the Batteries journal? Furthermore, what inspired you to apply for the Batteries Outstanding Reviewer Award 2025?
The first time I became aware of the Batteries journal was during my collaboration with Dr. Hüger at Clausthal University of Technology and Prof. Yang at the University of Kentucky. We had just completed a manuscript, and Dr. Hüger recommended submitting it to Batteries, which he regarded as a reputable and highly suitable journal in his field. Since then, I have received numerous peer-review invitations from Batteries and have devoted considerable time to reviewing manuscripts and providing detailed recommendations.

3. Which research topics do you think will be of particular interest to the research community in the coming years?
There is no doubt that research integrating AI and machine learning into energy applications has attracted extensive attention. At present, however, the majority of such studies focus primarily on SOC and SOH predictions or on the application of PINNs to solve governing equations. I believe that a much broader range of uses for AI and machine learning tools in the energy domain is both needed and anticipated.

4. What is your opinion of the open access model of publishing?
I think open access is one effective way to promote a more transparent and equitable academic ecosystem. That said, the open access publishing model must strictly uphold quality standards and adopt a reasonable APC.

5. Which qualities do you think reviewers need? Do you have anything to say to other reviewers?
In my opinion, the most essential qualities of a good reviewer are keen insight and a prompt response. Additionally, reviewers should feel free to decline invitations for manuscripts outside their area of expertise. This not only ensures a higher quality review but also helps editors quickly identify more suitable reviewers, saving valuable time in the process.

6. What do you think are the main criteria that should be taken seriously in the process of reviewing manuscripts?
Of course the academic integrity. Reviewers should pay special attention to whether the details of the model are clearly described and whether the results are reproducible. For machine learning papers, additional attention should be given to whether the training dataset is reasonably split, whether there is any time leakage, and whether there is data leakage between the training set and the validation set.

7. Do you have any final thoughts you’d like to share?
As I mentioned earlier, the majority of current research using AI and machine learning tools in energy applications still focuses heavily on time-series predictions. In my view, journals should be more selective in accepting papers on this topic unless the work demonstrates substantial and meaningful progress. Simply combining or permuting existing mature models typically offers limited novelty and scientific value.

Our portfolio of journals available for publishing up-to-date research in immediate open access format has been further expanded. In the first quarter of 2026, nine new journals released their inaugural issues and three transferred journals released their first issue as part of MDPI, covering the subjects of clinical medicine, chemistry, computer science & mathematics, engineering, environment & ecology, and social sciences & psychology.

We extend our gratitude to the Editors-in-Chief, Associate Editors, and Editorial Board Members who will shape the future course of these brand-new journals. Each journal is dedicated to upholding strong editorial standards through a thorough peer review process, ensuring impactful open access scholarship.

Please feel free to browse and discover more about the new journals below.

We would like to thank everyone who has supported the development of open access publishing. If you would like to create a new journal, you are welcome to send an application here or contact the New Journal Committee (newjournal-committee@mdpi.com).

We are delighted to announce that nominations are now open for the 2026 Tu Youyou Award. Named after Nobel Laureate Tu Youyou, whose discovery of artemisinin has saved millions of lives, this award recognizes researchers whose work advances the fields of natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry, while also contributing to human health.

Prize

– CHF 100,000;
– A medal;
– A certificate.

The monetary prize will be shared equally should there be multiple recipients.

Who May Be Nominated?

– Scientists with outstanding achievements and contributions in the fields of natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry.

Nominees must be individuals; team or group nominations are not permitted. Nominations are valid only for the current award cycle.

Who May Submit a Nomination?

– The director of the nominee’s host research institution or recognized scientists within the field.

Self-nominations will not be considered.

Nomination Materials

– A biographical sketch;
– A detailed description of the nominee’s contributions;
– 5–10 representative academic publications;
– A list of academic honors, awards, and funded projects;
– A nomination letter signed by two nominators.

How to Submit?

Submit nominations online via the following link: https://tuyouyouprize.org/nomination

Important Dates

– Nomination Deadline: 31 October 2026
– Winner Announcement: March 2027

For further information, please visit the Tu Youyou Award website (https://tuyouyouprize.org/). For any inquiries, please contact the Tu Youyou Award Team at tuyouyouaward@mdpi.com.

MDPI is pleased to announce our participation in the 39th Electric Vehicle Symposium & Exhibition, which will be held from 21 to 24 June 2026, in Long Beach, California, USA.

Organized and hosted by the Electric Drive Transportation Association, the 39th Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exhibition (EVS39) is the premier showcase for industry innovation and is the longest-running international conference devoted to electric transportation and technologies.

The EVS series began in 1969 as an academic forum for global networking and the exchange of technical information. As electric drive technologies progressed from classrooms and laboratories to the marketplace, the EVS expanded into both an academic and business-oriented event.

The following MDPI journals will be represented at the event:

• Applied Sciences;
• Vehicles;
• Future Transportation;
• Batteries;
• Electricity;
• Electronics;
• Eng;
• Inventions;
• Logistics;
• Automation.

If you are attending the 39th Electric Vehicle Symposium & Exhibition, we warmly invite you to visit our booth #625. Our representatives will be available to discuss publishing opportunities, open access benefits, and our commitment to advancing materials research.

To further develop Batteries (ISSN: 2313-0105), under the guidance of our Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Karim Zaghib, the journal has updated and revised its Section structure. Special Issues and their articles will be reorganized to align with the new Section structure. The original Section structure and the updated versions are listed below. 

For more detailed information, please visit the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/batteries/sections.

Batteries Editorial Office

As a pioneer in open access publishing, MDPI maintains rigorous publication standards. This mission relies on the dedication and expertise of our reviewers, who invest their time and knowledge to ensure the quality and integrity of the research we publish.

In 2025, over 209,000 reviewers contributed to the peer-review process at MDPI, providing more than 1.3 million review reports for our journals. To express our gratitude, MDPI’s Reviewer Recognition Program highlights reviewers across over 400 journals, featuring those who have assessed at least one manuscript and agreed to be acknowledged.

In addition, MDPI has identified its Top 1000 Reviewers of 2024 to recognize those whose expertise, dedication, and thoughtful evaluations were particularly outstanding.

Many journals have also established Outstanding Reviewer Awards to honor our reviewers’ commitment to publication excellence. Together with the Exceptional Reviewer List, we showcase the importance of reviewers’ work and their time and dedication.

These initiatives serve to express our deepest appreciation and gratitude towards the whole reviewer community. In recognition of their contributions, we also welcome new researchers to join this community. If you would like to contribute to open access publishing, learn more about the reviewers’ benefits and sign up to join us.

Editor’s choice articles are selected based on recommendations from the academic editors of Batteries (ISSN: 2313-0105). Our editors select a small number of recently published articles they consider to be of particular interest to our readers or particularly significant within their respective fields of research. We invite you to read our editor’s choice articles, a curated selection of high-quality articles published in Batteries. The full list of editor’s choice articles is available at https://www.mdpi.com/journal/batteries/editors_choice.

1. “Modelling of Thermal Runaway Propagation in Li-Ion Battery Cells Considering Variations in Thermal Property Measurements”
by Hayato Kitagawa, Yoichi Takagishi, Masato Nishiuchi, Koichi Saeki, Ryohei Baba and Tatsuya Yamaue
Batteries 2025, 11(10), 386; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11100386
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/10/386

2. “Unveiling the Thermal Behavior of SnS₂ Anodes Across Delithiation Stages”
by Mahmoud Reda, Jana Kupka, Yuri Surace, Damian M. Cupid and Hans Flandorfer
Batteries 2025, 11(10), 378; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11100378
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/10/378

3. “Understanding Heat Generation of LNMO Cathodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries via Entropy and Resistance”
by Kevin Böhm, Aleksandr Kondrakov, Torsten Markus and David Henriques
Batteries 2025, 11(10), 357; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11100357
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/10/357

4. “Multiphysics Optimization of Graphite-Buffered Bilayer Anodes with Diverse Inner Materials for High-Energy Lithium-Ion Batteries”
by Juan C. Rubio and Martin Bolduc
Batteries 2025, 11(10), 350; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11100350
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/10/350

5. “Experimental Investigations into the Ignitability of Real Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) Battery Vent Gas at Concentrations Below the Theoretical Lower Explosive Limit (LEL)”
by Jason Gill, Jonathan E. H. Buston, Gemma E. Howard, Steven L. Goddard, Philip A. P. Reeve and Jack W. Mellor
Batteries 2025, 11(10), 352; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11100352
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/10/352

6. “Thermal Runaway Propagation in Pouch-Type Lithium-Ion Battery Modules: Effects of State of Charge and Initiation Location”
by So-Jin Kim, Yeong-Seok Yu, Chan-Seok Jeong, Sang-Bum Lee and Yong-Un Na
Batteries 2025, 11(11), 398; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11110398
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/11/398

7. “Condition-Dependent Rate Capability of Laser-Structured Hard Carbon Anodes in Sodium-Based Batteries”
by Viktoria Falkowski and Wilhelm Pfleging
Batteries 2025, 11(11), 403; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11110403
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/11/403

8. “One-Step Electrospun LTO Anode for Flexible Li-Ion Batteries”
by Edi Edna Mados, Roni Amit, Noy Kluska, Diana Golodnitsky and Amit Sitt
Batteries 2025, 11(11), 405; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11110405
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/11/405

9. “A Comparative Study of the DEKF and DUKF for Battery SOC and SOH Estimation”
by Arash Seifoddini, Federico Miretti and Daniela Anna Misul
Batteries 2025, 11(11), 410; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11110410
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/11/410

10. “Development of Modular BMS Topology with Active Cell Balancing”
by José Gabriel O. Pinto, João P. D. Miranda, Luis A. M. Barros and José A. Afonso
Batteries 2025, 11(11), 421; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11110421
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/11/421

11. “Design and Implementation of an Intelligent Reconfigurable High-Voltage Battery System for Next-Generation Electric Vehicles”
by Stefan Schwertner, Tobias Buchberger, Simon Diehl, Rebekka Ferg, Christian Hanzl, Christoph Hartmann, Markus Hölzle, Jan Kleiner, Lidiya Komsiyska, Meinert Lewerenz et al.
Batteries 2025, 11(11), 424; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11110424
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/11/424

12. “Macro Economic and Ecological Aspects of Cell Production in Europe 2030”
by Tim Wicke, Lukas Weymann, Christoph Neef and Jens Tübke
Batteries 2025, 11(12), 457; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11120457
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/12/457

13. ”KI-Assisted MnO₂ Electrocatalysis Enables Low-Charging Voltage, Long-Life Rechargeable Zinc–Air Batteries”
by Francesco Biscaglia, Sabrina Di Masi, Marco Milanese, Claudio Mele, Giuseppe Gigli, Arturo De Risi and Luisa De Marco
Batteries 2025, 11(12), 463; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11120463
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/12/463

14. “Photoresponsive TiO₂/Graphene Hybrid Electrodes for Dual-Function Supercapacitors with Integrated Environmental Sensing Capabilities”
by María C. Cotto, José Ducongé, Francisco Díaz, Iro García, Carlos Neira, Carmen Morant and Francisco Márquez
Batteries 2025, 11(12), 460; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11120460
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/12/460

15. “Insights into Chemo-Mechanical Yielding and Eigenstrains in Lithium-Ion Battery Degradation”
by Fatih Uzun
Batteries 2025, 11(12), 465; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11120465
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/12/465

16. “Thick LiMn₂O₄ Electrode with Polymer Electrolyte for Electrochemical Extraction of Lithium from Brines”
by Daiwei Yao, Jing Qin, Hongtan Liu, Mert Akin and Xiangyang Zhou
Batteries 2025, 11(12), 454; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries11120454
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/11/12/454

MDPI is honored to announce the recipients of the 2025 Best Paper Awards, celebrating exceptional research for its scientific merit and broad impact. After a rigorous evaluation process conducted by Academic Editors, this year’s awards showcase papers that stand out for their innovation, relevance, and high-quality presentation.

Out of a highly competitive pool, 396 winning papers have been recognized for their exceptional contributions. We congratulate these authors for pushing the boundaries of their respective disciplines.

At MDPI, we are dedicated to broadening the reach of innovative science. To learn more about the award-winning papers and explore research projects in your field of study, please visit the following links:

• Biology and Life Sciences;
• Business and Economics;
• Chemistry and Materials Sciences;
• Computer Sciences and Mathematics;
• Engineering;
• Environmental and Earth Sciences;
• Medicine and Pharmacology;
• Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities;
• Physical Sciences;
• Public Health and Healthcare.

About MDPI Awards:

To reward the global research community and enhance academic dialogue, MDPI journals regularly host award programs across diverse scientific disciplines. These awards, serving as a source of inspiration and recognition, help raise the influence of talented individuals who have been credited with outstanding achievements and whose work drives the advancement of their fields.

Explore the Best Paper Awards open for participation, please click here.