(Invited) Peering into Electrochemically Active Polymers with Chemically Sensitive Synchrotron X-Rays

Abstract

The performance of electrochemically active materials, for example, ion-conducting polymer membranes, is defined by their unique molecular architecture and resulting hierarchical morphology across length scales that controls functional properties such as transport. Synchrotron X-ray probes have proven invaluable to reveal details into the chemistry and structure of electrochemical systems. Nevertheless, opportunities remain to uncover new structure-property insights with emerging synchrotron tools. Energy-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy coupled with resonant X-ray scattering can elucidate morphology with chemical sensitivity in heterogeneous polymer-based systems. These techniques are amenable to in situ and operando studies. Moreover, they are well-suited to probe thin films, enabling detailed interrogation of relevant interfaces, for example, membrane-electrode interfaces, and how interfacial molecular assembly impacts charge transport and overall electrochemical performance. Herein, we present examples of polymer morphology evolution, including perfluorinated ionomers with unique side chain architectures, leveraging the sensitivity of energy-resolved scattering to reveal detailed aspects of membrane phase separation. These studies highlight opportunities in synchrotron-based resonant scattering coupled with spectroscopy and other techniques to achieve new insights into the bulk and interfacial structure of membranes and other complex electrochemical materials.

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Identifiers

DOI

10.1149/ma2021-01491966mtgabs

Journal

ECS Meeting Abstracts

Year

2021