Until recently, advanced x-ray spectroscopy was largely the sole domain of synchrotron facilities. While national-lab scale sources provide the ultimate in technical capability, the present access model is necessarily restrictive to the point of slowing progress on critical projects and prohibiting more routine analytical characterization. Over the last three years, our group at the University of Washington has been developing several new families of lab-based instruments for x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and high-resolution x-ray emission spectroscopy (XES). This poster will first report on the installation of a hard x-ray XAFS user facility for battery research in the University of Washington Molecular Analysis Facility (MAF) before detailing the development of a small-scale spectrometer for benchtop XES measurements at energies down to a few keV.

The UW-MAF’s recent installment of a laboratory XANES spectrometer provides users with a valuable tool for high-throughput transition metal and lanthanide speciation studies. The instrument is available as a mail-in service for academic, industry, and national lab scientists, making it ideal for system prototypes in need of rapid feedback. The spectrometer is further recommended for such studies by its sub-eV energy resolution and high flux provided in transmission-mode. Selected applications reported here include redox flow batteries, Li-ion batteries, and a low absorption pouch cell design for in operando studies. This latter-most capability was developed in collaboration with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Another area of active research within our group is the development of XES spectrometers for lower energy applications, such as x-ray emission from sulfur and phosphorous. Our new instrument is surprisingly small, yet provides synchrotron-level performance in both energy resolution and count rates. Ongoing developments include its integration into a glove box system to facilitate the study of air-sensitive systems such as are relevant for Li-S battery research and development