Battery technology is a vital part of all aspects of today’s society, but we still lack a basic understanding of some of the processes involved in energy storage. Studying the local electronic structure is key to this understanding, and one tool used to do this is x-ray spectroscopy. In my research, I will perform an in situ x-ray spectroscopy study of battery fatigue over many discharge cycles. Previously, x-ray spectroscopy has only been possible at synchrotron beamlines, so a long baseline study like this would have been impossible, but with the commissioning of CEI-XAFS, I will be able to perform this study at UW. In doing so, I will also characterize the long baseline stability of CEI-XAFS for future use by other groups at UW.
Advisor: Gerald Seidler, Physics
Final Product Video