A novel experiment for energy science

Scientists at the Chair of Interface Research and Catalysis will develop a new and unique experiment at the German Electron Synchrotron DESY in Hamburg. The setup is named CIXEL (Combined Infrared and X-Ray Analytics of Electrochemical Interfaces) and shall enable a new type of in-situ studies at electrocatalytic interfaces.

For the first time, it will be possible to combine two complementary methods in one setup: high energy surface x-ray diffraction which provides information on the structure of electrode interfaces and electrochemical infrared spectroscopy which provides information on the interfacial chemistry. The complementary information will be obtained simultaneously on the same sample, which avoids the experimental ambiguities that occur when studying highly dynamic interfaces.  After development of the setup, experiments will be performed to explore electrocatalysis for direct fuel cells which operate on so-called reversible liquid electrofuels.

Later, the CIXEL instrument will enable similar experiments for a broad range of electrochemical technologies for the storage and conversion of renewable energies. The project will receive a funding of 0.9 Mio EUR by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the next 3 years.

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