A custom battery for operando neutron powder diffraction studies of electrode structure

Structure–property relations are central to understanding functional materials,

and for battery research the use of neutron powder diffraction to reveal the

atomistic and molecular-scale origin of battery performance characteristics is

often essential. Although operando experiments of this kind are increasingly

common as neutron sources and instrumentation advance, these experiments

are hindered by the often large barrier presented by the preparation of whole

batteries that yield a neutron diffraction signal from the electrode of interest

that is sufficient to extract detailed structural information. This article presents a

custom battery that is specifically designed for operando neutron powder

diffraction. The battery is a pouch type and contains layers of positive and

negative electrodes in a parallel-connecting stack. Importantly, the battery can

be easily prepared in most laboratories, is configurable, and can be used with

both lithium and sodium charge carriers. This paper provides some example

operando neutron powder diffraction studies using this battery.