8 8 H I G H L I G H T S 2 0 2 3 I

S C I E N T I F I C H I G H L I G H T S

The adverse consequences of fossil fuel consumption and the unsustainable nature of crucial industrial processes have placed society in a challenging position. In response, the imperative task of transitioning to more sustainable technologies and adopting a circular economy has become increasingly urgent. Given the magnitude of this challenge, substantial resources are now dedicated to researching novel technologies to minimise our impact on climate and ecosystems. A pivotal aspect of this transition is the development of emission- free technologies for energy generation, conversion and storage, alongside innovative processes to convert available chemical feedstocks into higher- value chemicals. The ESRF-Extremely Brilliant Source (EBS) plays a central role in these efforts, offering a universal X-ray probe with high brilliance that provides unprecedented insights into the fundamental aspects of materials, processes and the complexity of emerging technologies.

In the case of batteries, the high-brilliance, high-energy ESRF-EBS beams can characterise materials from the sub- nanometre scale to the scale of the device. In this chapter, Golub et al. used a multimodal approach combining X-rays at beamline BM01 and neutron diffraction to reveal the intricate complexity of solid borohydride- based electrolytes used in a new generation of solid-state magnesium batteries (page 90). Using X-ray diffraction (XRD) at the same beamline, Zhang et al. studied Li7La3Zr2O12 membranes in order to replace the standard electrolytes and separators in Li-ion technology (page 92), finding a new way to manufacture these materials with the required parameters for commercialisation. At beamlines BM01 and BM31, Baumgärtner et al. researched a completely new class of cheap Li insertion cathodes for standard Li-ion batteries, using XRD and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) (page 94). They found that well- controlled heat treatment leads to changes in the internal architecture, increasing the Li transport and stability of the material. The influence of calendaring and particle coating on the ageing of graphite anodes for Li-ion technology has been researched at ID16B using phase- contrast nanotomography (page 96). The authors show the benefits of petroleum pitch coatings for the life- cycle and performance as well as its relation to the SEI growth. A full commercial cylindrical cell was studied at ID15A by XRD-computed tomography (CT) (page 98). In this study, the authors decoupled mechanical and temperature strains during charge/discharge of the device. This interesting approach paves a way to evaluate the thermal behaviour of various cell designs, accelerating their commercialisation.

The Power to X (P2X) concept involves converting power from renewable sources into high-value chemicals while minimising emissions. Research at the ESRF includes studies on green hydrogen generation through electrolysis and the conversion of CO2 to higher-value hydrocarbons. The former process, in this case electrolysis of glycerol to generate hydrogen and higher value chemicals, was studied by Luo et al. at BM28 using XAS (page 100).

C L E A N E N E R G Y T R A N S I T I O N A N D S U S T A I N A B L E T E C H N O L O G I E S