A research group led by Prof. WANG Junhu from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed in-situ ion battery ⁵⁷Fe and ¹¹⁹Sn Mossbauer instrument. It can be used to dynamically observe the evolution of the Fe/Sn-based electrode materials in charging/discharging process, and to reveal the intrinsic mechanism of the ion battery.

Mossbauer spectroscopy with high energy resolution can be used to study the behavior of electrons outside the nucleus. The in-situ ion battery Mossbauer spectroscopy can be used to explore the changes of electronical, structural and magnetic properties of electrode materials under real working conditions.

To operate the instrument, first, place the research electrode material, diaphragm, electrolyte, and counter electrode into designed in-situ/operando battery in a glove box. And then Blue Electricity System and Mossbauer Spectrometer can work together to automatically record Mossbauer spectroscopy at certain intervals, measuring the charge/discharge performance and the time resolved Mossbauer spectrum at the same time.

The in-situ battery adopts a high-purity beryllium window with optimized thickness and diameter to ensure high transmittance of the Mossbauer signal, allowing sufficient pressure on the electrode and sufficient area for rapid data collection. Its internal geometry is suitable for vertical and horizontal Mossbauer measurement modes.

The group led by Professor LI Xianfeng and Associate Professor ZHENG Qiong from DICP and Dr. Moulay Tahar Sougrati from the University of Montpellier were also involved in this work.