TU-TESL

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Recently, Argonne National Laboratory of the U.S. Department of energy said that they are using X-rays generated by advanced photon sources (APS) to detect the crystal microstructure of the next generation of cathode materials from three different dimensions. According to the official description of Argonne National Laboratory, this research may revolutionize the current situation of energy storage in automobiles, transportation and power grid. It is reported that the researchers of this experiment are respectively from material science, chemical science and engineering, data science and X-ray science. Cross field cooperation can provide professional knowledge of battery materials and chemistry, X-ray scattering, computer programming and complex data analysis for this research. Raymond Osborn and Stephan Rosenkranz, lead researchers of the project in Argonne's materials science department, said: "this is a good example of large-scale scientific cooperation, making full use of Argonne's multidisciplinary team and world-class facilities to solve complex problems." The results of this research project are an important new tool. In the search for better cathode materials, scientists use X-ray and electron diffraction to determine how lithium ions or other intercalators form long-range ordered structures. This structure will hinder the movement of metal ions in the cathode, thus hindering the extraction and insertion of metal ions in the circulation process, and leading to the degradation of battery performance. After identifying these reasons, researchers can further improve battery performance. The team believes that the sodium ion battery is a substitute for the lithium ion battery. The team members measured the scattering of high-energy X-rays in the crystal and determined the short-range correlation between sodium ions in the crystal structure at different temperatures. According to Rosenkranz, these findings provide a better understanding of how orderly disordered transitions limit the mobility of sodium ions, thereby improving the performance of battery cathodes. "