Blog Post Image: New Spectroscopic Technique Could Accelerate the Push for Better Batteries

Yang calls this image a “beautiful butterfly.” That’s partly because it looks like one. But it’s also because the image, obtained via soft x-ray spectroscopy at the Advanced Light Source, vividly reveals the chemical and physical changes of the electrode material during battery operation. The sensitive probe could clarify the charge and discharge mechanism of battery electrodes, and fingerprint the migration of the electrons and ions. Image credit: Berkeley Lab