New strategies for interrogation of redox flow batteries via Synchrotron radiation

Beagle: a near-edge X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy data processing solution for beamline experiments at Pohang Accelerator Laboratory

Near-edge X-ray absorption fine-structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy is a powerful tool for identifying chemical bonding states at synchrotron radiation facilities. Advances in new materials require researchers in both academia and industry to measure tens to hundreds of samples during the available beam time on a synchrotron beamline, which is typically allocated to users. Automated measurement methods, along with analysis software, have been developed for beamlines. Automated measurements facilitate high-throughput experiments and accumulate vast amounts of measured spectral data. The analysis software supports various functions for analyzing the experimental data; however, these analysis methods are complicated, and learning them can be time-consuming. To process large amounts of spectral data, a new analysis software, dedicated to NEXAFS spectroscopy, that is easy to use and can provide results in a short time is desired. Herein, the development of Beagle is described, software calculating molecular orientation from NEXAFS spectroscopy data that can report results in a short time comparable with that required to measure one sample at the beamline. It was designed to progress in a single sequence from data loading to the printing of the results with a `click of a button'. The functions of the software include recognizing the dataset, correcting the background, normalizing the plot, calculating the electron yield and determining the molecular orientation. The analysis results can be saved as {\tt{.txt}} files (spectral data), {\tt{.pdf}} files (graphic images) and Origin files (spectral data and graphic images).

X-ray Tomography Applied to Electrochemical Devices and Electrocatalysis

X-ray computed tomography (CT) is a nondestructive three-dimensional (3D) imaging technique used for studying morphological properties of porous and nonporous materials. In the field of electrocatalysis, X-ray CT is mainly used to quantify the morphology of electrodes and extract information such as porosity, tortuosity, pore-size distribution, and other relevant properties. For electrochemical systems such as fuel cells, electrolyzers, and redox flow batteries, X-ray CT gives the ability to study evolution of critical features of interest in ex situ, in situ, and operando environments. These include catalyst degradation, interface evolution under real conditions, formation of new phases (water and oxygen), and dynamics of transport processes. These studies enable more efficient device and electrode designs that will ultimately contribute to widespread decarbonization efforts.