Aqueous zinc-iodine batteries represent a compelling technology for large-scale, sustainable energy storage, yet their practical application is severely hampered by the simultaneous interfacial challenges of uncontrolled dendrite growth on the zinc anode and the parasitic polyiodide shuttle. Herein, we introduce a dual-site functional orchestration strategy by employing a single electrolyte additive, 2-imidazolidone (ELA), to concurrently stabilize both the anode and cathode interfaces. On the anode side, the carbonyl (C=O) functional group of ELA initiates an effective anodic modulation, regulating the Zn²⁺ solvation environment and facilitating a dynamic adsorption layer. This homogenizes the ion flux and guides preferential Zn deposition along the (002) plane, effectively suppressing dendrite formation. Concurrently, at the cathode, the imino (N-H) group immobilizes soluble polyiodide species via hydrogen bonding, realizing an effective cathodic mooring. This targeted confinement arrests the shuttle effect without impeding the intrinsic redox kinetics. This synergistic stabilization translates into exceptional electrochemical performance, with symmetric cells achieving an ultra-long lifespan of over 5500 h at a high current density of 8 mA cm^-2 and the full Zn||I₂ cells demonstrating robust cycling with 79.4% capacity retention after 2500 cycles. This work introduces a dual-site functional orchestration strategy, offering a pathway toward more durable aqueous batteries.

A research team from the Urban and Transportation Systems Laboratory, Department of Architecture and Urban Systems, Toyohashi University of Technology (lead researcher: Dr. Mustafa Mutahari), has developed a quantitative policy evaluation framework for assessing how cities can attract startups while maintaining high living standards. In this study, the team evaluated the startup ecosystem under an air-front smart city using a model that integrates Quality of Life (QOL), Quality of Business (QOB), and accessibility from both digital and physical dimensions, and revealed that policy, accessibility, and QOL are the key determinants. This research was conducted as part of the JST e-ASIA Joint Research Program, an international collaborative project involving Japan, Thailand, and the Philippines, and the findings have been published in Smart Cities, an international academic journal.

A new study published in Big Earth Data presents phenological metrics derived from Earth observation (EO) satellite time series—such as greening onset, senescence, and growing season length—which are essential for crop monitoring but challenged by the massive scale of EO data exceeding local processing capacities, and introduces a free, open-source Web Crop Phenology Metrics Service (WCPMS) built on the Brazil Data Cube platform for server-side extraction from large datasets. It further demonstrates the tool’s effectiveness by estimating soybean sowing dates in Brazil using phenological metrics and validating the results against field data.