Experiment at Synchrotron Soleil near Paris

At the beginning of June, three researchers from our department (Dr Ava Rajh, Dr Klemen Bučar, Dr Matjaž Kavčič), together with colleagues from the National Institute of Chemistry, participated in beamtime at the SOLEIL synchrotron facility. The primary goal of the experiment was to characterize intermediate sulfur compounds formed during the electrochemical reaction in Li-S batteries using carbonate-based electrolytes and novel ultramicroporous carbon-sulfur cathode composites. Measurements were conducted at the GALAXIES beamline, where we collected resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) spectra of sulfur with high collection efficiency using the multi-crystal MOSARIX detector. These RIXS spectra enabled us to identify sulfur-containing species present in the samples. The experiment included both pre-prepared samples and in operando measurements, all performed in a helium environment to prevent signal absorption in air.