Advancing Energy Materials by In Situ Atomic Scale Methods
Abstract Despite significant advancements in materials design for renewable energy devices, the fundamental understanding of the underlying processes in many materials remains limited, particularly in complex, inhomogeneous systems and interfaces. In such cases, in situ studies with high spatial and energy resolution are essential for uncovering new insights into excitation, dissipation, and conversion processes. Recent progress in in situ atomic scale methods has greatly enhanced the understanding of energy materials. Here, key advances are reviewed, including in situ, environmental and ultra‐fast transmission electron microscopy, scanning probe techniques, single‐photon‐resolved infrared spectroscopy, velocity‐resolved molecular kinetics, and in situ grazing‐incidence X‐ray spectroscopy. These techniques enable the study of energy conversion with spatial resolution from nanometers down to individual atoms, energy resolution down to meV, and single‐quantum detection. Especially they enable access to processes that involve multiple degrees of freedom, strong coupling, or spatial inhomogeneities. They have driven a qualitative leap in the fundamental understanding of energy conversion processes, opening new avenues for improving existing materials and designing novel clean and efficient energy materials in photovoltaics, friction, and surface chemistry and (photo‐)electrochemistry.
Authors
- Simone Techert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7549-7651)
- Matthias Krüger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5015-935X)
- Kai Roßnagel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5107-0090)
- Christoph Flathmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6384-568X)
- Alec M. Wodtke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6509-2183)
- Claus Ropers (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9539-3817)
- Cynthia A. Volkert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6676-8758)
- Christian Eckel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7888-2574)
- Oliver Bünermann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9837-6548)
- M. Seibt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9908-400X)
- Tobias Meyer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3191-0376)
- M. Wenderoth (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9663-3512)
- Ole Bunjes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4792-4169)
- R. Thomas Weitz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5404-7355)
- Ulrich Roß (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0909-6948)
- Jonas Lindner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0902-2105)
- Till Domröse (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9641-726X)
- Georg A. Traeger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4286-7895)
- Christian Jooß (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8762-9359)
- Sreeju Sreekantan Nair Lalithambika
- Francesca Falorsi
- Monica Kolek Martinez de Azagra
Institutions
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY (DE)
- Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Kiel (DE)
- Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (DE)
- Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (DE)
- Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences (DE)
- University of Göttingen (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Energy Materials
- Published
- 2025-02-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202404280
- Citations
- 6
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Electron Microscopy Techniques and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 15.29
Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft