Western University

The increasing market demand and the environmental crisis have been driving the battery industry to grow faster than ever before. Modern research has been focused on new types of batteries (Li-S, Li-air, Na-air, all-solid-state lithium batteries, etc.) as well as improvement (SEI, 3D printing, etc.) of current Li-ion batteries. Due to the complexity and atmospheric sensitivity of battery systems, it has been a challenge to track the evolution of the Battery Components. In-situ/ex-situ synchrotron X-ray techniques (XAS, HAXPES, XES, STXM, etc.), however, have been proven to be extremely powerful tools to study these systems. In-situ/operando XAS, in particular, has the capability to track the electronic and local structures of each element during cycling. These synchrotron X-ray techniques are used to reveal the connection between the chemical structure and battery performance, and thus guide the design of novel batteries.