Paper by Prof. Kakinuma and their coworkers was selected to be featured on the supplementary cover of the journal.

August 24, 2026

　A research paper by Professor Katsuyoshi Kakinuma (Clean Energy Research Center / Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Nanomaterials Center) and Mr. Tatsuki Yasuda (first-year doctoral student) has been published in “ACS Omega”, a journal of the American Chemical Society, and featured on the supplemental cover.The paper is titled “Enhancement of Proton Conductivity in Perfluorosulfonic Acid Membranes with the Addition of Hydrophilic Fillers.“
　The improvement of the proton conductivity was achieved by incorporating specialized cellulose nanofibers into the ionomer membrane. Professor Kakinuma commented, “We have discovered a new mechanism that enables us to achieve high proton conductivity across a wide temperature range, and we will employ these membranes in practical fuel cells.”