(Invited) Probing Electrochemical Interfaces in Catalytic and Energy Materials and Process Using Operando Soft X-Ray Spectroscopy

Advanced energy technology arises from the understanding in fundamental science, thus rest in large on in-situ/operando characterization tools for observing the physical and chemical interfacial processes. Synchrotron based X-ray spectroscopic techniques offers unique characterization in many important energy materials of energy conversion, energy storage and catalysis in regards to the functionality, complexity of material architecture, chemistry and interactions among constituents within. However, it is challenging to reveal the real mechanism of the chemical processes. In the operando soft X-ray spectroscopy characterization of interfacial phenomena in energy materials and devices, it has been found that the microstructure and composition of materials as well as the microstructure evolution process have a great influence on performances in a variety of fields, e.g., energy conversion and energy storage materials, chemical and catalytic processes. This presentation will show how to best use the in-situ/operando soft X-ray spectroscopy characterization techniques, including soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and resonant inelastic soft X-ray scattering (RIXS) to investigate the real electrochemical mechanism during the operation. The experimental results show how in-situ/operando soft X-ray spectra characterization techniques uncover the phase conversion, chemical and environmental change of elements and other very important information of solid/gas and solid/liquid interfaces in real time, thus further enhance the understanding of real reaction mechanism.