Characterization of Electrical Energy Storage Interfaces with Advanced Optical, Electrochemical, and X-ray Probes

Novel and improved methods for energy storage are urgently required to enable effective use of renewable energy sources and to facilitate energy demand-response management across time and length scales. While lithium-ion batteries meet many of the criteria required for portable electronics, they are insufficient to meet the requirements for emerging applications (e.g. aerospace) and grid scale storage. New electrical energy storage concepts are needed to meet these current and future demands. Central to the onset of transformational breakthroughs is the need to increase understanding of the fundamental physical and chemical processes that occur in these complex systems. To this end, we plan to impact this space by leveraging synchrotron-enabled scanning broadband nanoscopy and nano-FTIR spectroscopy for local information on permittivity and chemistry, scanning nanobattery probes for local nano-electrochemical testing, and ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Here we provide an operational overview, and the advantages of, these cutting-edge characterization techniques for advancing the basic science of electrical energy storage interfaces.