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Synchrotron radiation based techniques are powerful tools for battery research and allow probing a wide range of length scales, with different depth sensitivities and spatial/temporal resolutions. Operando experiments enable characterization during functioning of the cell and are thus a precious tool to elucidate the reaction mechanisms taking place. In this perspective, the current state of the art for the most relevant techniques (scattering, spectroscopy, and imaging) is discussed together with the bottlenecks to address, either specific for application in the battery field or more generic. The former includes the improvement of cell designs, multi-modal characterization and development of protocols for automated or at least semi-automated data analysis to quickly process the huge amount of data resulting from operando experiments. Given the recent evolution in these areas, accelerated progress is expected in the years to come, which should in turn foster battery performance improvements., The authors are grateful for funding through PTI+ TRANS-ENER+: “Alta Tecnología clave en la transición en el ciclo energético”, part of the CSIC program for the Spanish Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility of the European Union, established by the Regulation (EU) 2020/2094. ICMAB-CSIC members thank the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación Severo Ochoa Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D (CEX2019-000917-S)., With funding from the Spanish government through the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000917-S).

Two-dimensional iron-chalcogenide intercalates display a remarkable correlation of the interlayer spacing with the enhancement of the superconducting critical temperature ($T_c$). In this work, synchrotron x-ray absorption ($XAS$, at Fe and Se K edges) and emission ($XES$) spectroscopies, allow to discuss how the important rise of $T_c$ (44 K) in the molecule intercalated $\rm Li_x(C_5H_5N)_yFe_{2-z}Se_2$ relates to the electronic and local structure changes felt by the inorganic host upon doping ($x$). $XES$ shows that widely-separated layers of edge-sharing $\rm FeSe_4$ tetrahedra, carry low-spin moieties with a local Fe magnetic moment slightly reduced compared to the parent $\beta$-$\rm Fe_{2-z}Se_2$. Pre-edge $XAS$ advises on the progressively reduced mixing of metal $3d-4p$ states upon lithiation. Doping-mediated local lattice modifications, probed by conventional $T_c$-optimization measures (cf. anion height and $FeSe_4$ tetrahedra regularity), become less relevant when layers are spaced far away. On the basis of extended x-ray absorption fine structure, such distortions are compensated by a softer Fe-network that relates to Fe-site vacancies, alleviating electron-lattice correlations and superconductivity. Density functional theory ($DFT$) guided modification of isolated $\rm Fe_{2-z}Se_2$ ($z$, vacant sites) planes, resembling the host layers, identify that Fe-site deficiency occurs at low energy cost, giving rise to stretched Fe-sheets, in accord with experiments. The robust high-$T_c$ in $\rm Li_x(C_5H_5N)_yFe_{2-z}Se_2$, arises from the interplay of electron donating spacers and the iron-selenide layers tolerance to defect chemistry, a tool to favorably tune its Fermi surface properties., Comment: Main text of 29 pages, 9 Figures, 1 Table. Supplemental Material of 17 pages, 7 Figures, 1 Table

Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB Hypothesis: The easy aggregation of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) greatly reduces their adsorption performance for removing arsenic (As) from polluted water. We propose to exploit the porosity and good diffusion properties of a cube-shaped cellulose sponge for loading SPION to reduce the aggregation and to develop a composite adsorbent in the cm-scale that could be used for industrial applications. Experiments: SPION were in-situ synthesized by co-precipitation using a commercial cube-shaped sponge (MetalZorb®) as support. The morphology, iron-oxide phase, adsorption performance and thermodynamic parameters of the composite adsorbent were determined to better understand the adsorption process. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) was used to investigate the chemical state of the adsorbed As(III). Findings: The adsorption of the supported SPION outperforms the unsupported SPION (ca. 14 times higher adsorption capacity). The modelling of the adsorption isotherms and the kinetic curves indicated that chemisorption is controlling the adsorption process. The thermodynamic analysis shows that the adsorption retains the spontaneous and endothermic character of the unsupported SPION. The XAS results revealed an adsorption-oxidation mechanism in which the adsorbed As(III) was partially oxidized to less toxic As(V) by the hydroxyl free radical (•OH) generated from Fe(III) species and by the hydroxyl groups.

A heterogeneous ruthenium catalyst consisting of isolated single atoms and disordered clusters stabilized in a N-doped carbon matrix has been synthesized with very good activity and remarkable regioselectivity in the hydroformylation of 1-hexene. The role of the nitrogen heteroatoms has been probed essential to increase the catalyst stability and activity, enabling the stabilization of Ru(II)-N sites according to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and XANES. Intrinsic size-dependent activity of Ru species of different atomicity has been extracted, correlating the observed reaction rate and the particle size distribution determined by means of aberration-corrected high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy, permitting the identification of single-atom sites as the most active ones. This catalyst appears as a promising alternative with respect to its heterogeneous counterparts, paving the way for designing improved Ru heterogeneous catalysts., The research leading to these results has received funding from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, through the “Severo Ochoa” Excellence Programme (SEV-2016-0683) and RTI2018-099668-B-C21 and PGC2018-101247-B-100 “Programa Estatal de Generación de Conocimiento”. P.C acknowledges the financial support from the “Generalitat Valenciana” through the project AICO/2020/205. HR-HAADF-STEM measurements were performed at the DME-UCA node of ELECMI ICTS with financial support from FEDER/MINECO (MAT2017-87579-R and PID2019-110018GA-I00); XAS experiments were performed at the BL22-CLÆSS beamline at the ALBA Synchrotron with the collaboration of ALBA staff as part of projects 2019093692 and 2020024106. XPS experiments were performed at the BL24-CIRCE beamline at the ALBA Synchrotron with the collaboration of ALBA staff. J.E.B acknowledges the Polytechnical University of Valencia for the economic support through the grant of an FPI scholarship associated with the PAID programme “Programa de Ayudas de Investigación y Desarrollo”.

A novel cobaloxime–PMO hybrid material as an efficient hydrogen evolution catalyst under photocatalytic conditions.

The lower Ti–Tx disorder for the Ti2CTx than the Ti3C2Tx system results in a higher specific capacitance.

Dodecacarbonyltriruthenium Ru(CO) has been immobilized onto a biopolymer (chitosan) supported on SiO (Ch@SiO) to give Ru−Ch@SiO. Ch@SiO behaves as a soft, recoverable and bulky ligand allowing the stabilization of released Ru active species and preventing its irreversible reduction to Ru. Under these conditions very high activity (TOF= 1086 h; TON=2749) and regioselectivity (n:iso=92 : 8) are obtained, surpassing that of the homogeneous Ru(CO) counterpart. Spectroscopic studies have shown that Ru(CO) transforms into a mononuclear Ru (n=2,3) di o try carbonyl species by interacting with the amido/amino groups of the biopolymer, being released into the reaction media whilst stabilized by the chitosan functional groups. The herein 0.5 Ru-Ch@SiO catalyst can operate be operated under a semi-continuous mode for at least 14 h without deactivation, representing providing a starting point in the search for a green catalyst with definitive industrial application in hydroformylations. In particular in the search for a heterogeneous catalyst away from the use of phosphines and their known drawbacks (i. e. tedious synthesis, facile oxidation of phosphor center,.) as well as expensive Rh as active site., This research was funded by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Grants number RTI2018-099668-B-C21 and PGC2018-101247-B-100, and Generalitat Valenciana (GVA), AICO/2020/205. F.J.E.B acknowledges the Polytechnical University of Valencia for the economic support through the grant of an FPI scholarship associated with the PAID programme “Programa de Ayudas de Investigación y Desarrollo”. XAS experiments were performed at the BL22-CLÆSS beamline at the ALBA Synchrotron with the collaboration of ALBA staff as part of projects 2019093692 and 2020024106.

Electrodeposited iridium oxide (K1.7IrO0.8 (OH)2.2 × 1.8 H2O; also called IrOx) is among the best substrates for neural growth, decreasing impedance and stimulating cell growth, when used as a connected electrode. Without direct contact, it has been proven to stimulate neurons through a bipolar mechanism related to the conducting character of the material in the presence of remote electric fields. The remote wireless electrostimulation that arises from it is of large significance in clinical applications. Ionic intercalation simultaneous with iridium oxidation state changes at the induced IrOx cathode and the formation of a redox and ionic gradient at the IrOx substrate is envisaged as the most probable explanation for the observed effects on neural cell growth. This work shows the iridium state gradient using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) with significant electrochemical features and relaxation times that allow for a persistent effect in the material even after the electric field creating the induced dipole is switched off. It also shows correlated intercalated sodium gradients observed by semiquantitative energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis data. The bipolar effect is proven and yields new evidence for the behavior of other biocompatible neural growth substrates., The authors thanks financing from the Ministry of Science of Spain (MAT2015-65192-R, and RTI2018-097753-B-I00), and Severo Ochoa Program (CEX2019-000917-S). LlA thanks the Ramon y Cajal Program contract (RYC-2013-12640). ALBA synchrotron experiments were performed under Grant 2020024334.

Two-dimensional iron chalcogenide intercalates display a remarkable correlation of the interlayer spacing with enhancement of the superconducting critical temperature (

Direct seawater electrolysis is proposed as a potential low-cost approach to green hydrogen production, taking advantage of the vastly available seawater and large-scale offshore renewable energy being deployed. However, developing efficient, earth-abundant electrocatalysts that can survive under harsh corrosive conditions for a long time is still a significant technical challenge. Herein, the fabrication of a self-supported nickel-iron phosphosulfide (NiFeSP) nanotube array electrode through a two-step sulfurization/phosphorization approach is reported. The as-obtained NiFeSP nanotubes comprise abundant NiFeS/NiFeP heterointerfaces and under-coordinated metal sites, exhibiting outstanding activity and durability for the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER and OER) in simulated alkaline-seawater solution (KOH + NaCl), with an overpotential of 380 (HER) and 260 mV (OER) at 500 mA cm-2 and outstanding durability of 1000 h. Theoretical calculations support the observed outstanding performance, showing that the heterointerface and under-coordinated metal sites synergistically lower the energy barrier of the rate-determining step reactions. The NiFeSP electrode also shows good catalytic performance for the urea oxidation reaction (UOR). By coupling UOR with HER, the bifunctional NiFeSP electrode pair can efficiently catalyze the overall urea-mediated alkaline-saline water electrolysis at 500 mA cm-2 under 1.938 V for 1000 h without notable performance degradation.

In cement-rich radioactive waste repositories, mackinawite (FeS) forms at the steel corrosion interface within reinforced concrete and potentially retards the transport of redox-sensitive radionuclides (e.g.

The reversible and irreversible cationic and anionic charge compensation mechanisms occurring along the first charge and discharge cycle of Li- and Mn-rich Li[Li0.2Ni0.16Mn0.56Co0.08]O2 cathode material at (dis)charge rates of 0.1C and 5C have been identified and quantified by X-ray absorption and emission spectroscopy. The analysis provided the oxidation states of the transition metals, the Mn local coordination, and the lattice elastic constants. Lattice softening occurs along the first charge, while a minor spinel phase forms irreversibly at the expense of the layered phase. Higher charge rate increases the spinel formation and induces an increased softening in the delithiated lattice, which is expected to correspond to a reduced reversible anionic redox. The results evidence a comparable cationic and anionic oxidation since the beginning of the charge, while only anions are contributing towards its end, equivalent to roughly 10% of structural oxygen irreversibly lost. Higher charge rates resulted in a decreased reversible anionic redox, anticipating the cationic oxidation. The reported results provide a reliable experimental approach to characterize the key parameters controlling the reversible and irreversible cationic and anionic contributions to the charge compensation mechanism., This research was funded by the Spanish Government, through the “Severo Ochoa” Programme for Centers of Excellence in R&D (FUNFUTURE, CEX2019-000917-S), the projects RTI2018-097753-B-I00, MAT2017-91404-EXP, with FEDER co-funding, the CSIC program for the Spanish Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan “Plataforma Temática Interdisciplinar Transición Energética Sostenible+ (PTI-TRANSENER+)” funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility of the European Union, established by the Regulation (EU) 2020/2094. A.K., H.C., M.K., D.B. and S.P. would like to acknowledge financial support from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the ExcellBattUlm project (03XP0257D), the European Commission within the Si-DRIVE project (Horizon 2020, 814464), and the Helmholtz Association., With funding from the Spanish government through the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000917-S).

Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB In this study, a commercial cube-shaped open-celled cellulose sponge adsorbent was modified by in-situ co-precipitation of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) and used to remove As(V) from aqueous solutions. Fe K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and TEM identified maghemite as the main iron phase of the SPION nanoparticles with an average size 13 nm. Batch adsorption experiments at 800 mg/L showed a 63% increase of adsorption capacity when loading 2.6 wt.% mass fraction of SPION in the cube-sponge. Experimental determination of the adsorption thermodynamic parameters indicated that the As(V) adsorption on the composite material is a spontaneous and exothermic process. As K-edge XAS results confirmed that the adsorption enhancement on the composite can be attributed to the nanoparticles loaded. In addition, adsorbed As(V) did not get reduced to more toxic As(III) and formed a binuclear corner-sharing complex with SPION. The advantageous cube-shape of the sponge-loaded SPION composite together with its high affinity and good adsorption capacity for As(V), good regeneration capability and the enhanced-diffusion attributed to its open-celled structure make this adsorbent a good candidate for industrial applications.

Porous carbon has been widely used as an efficient host to encapsulate highly active molecular sulfur (S) in Li-S and Na-S batteries. However, for these sub-nanosized pores, it is a challenge to provide fully accessible sodium ions with unobstructed channels during cycling, particularly for high sulfur content. It is well recognized that solid interphase with full coverage over the designed architectures plays critical roles in promoting rapid charge transfer and stable conversion reactions in batteries, whereas constructing a high-ionic-conductivity solid interphase in the pores is very difficult. Herein, unique continuous carbonaceous pores are tailored, which can serve as multifunctional channels to encapsulate highly active S and provide fully accessible pathways for sodium ions. Solid sodium sulfide interphase layers are also realized in the channels, showing high Na-ion conductivity toward stabilizing the redox kinetics of the S cathode during charge/discharge processes. This systematically designed carbon-hosted sulfur cathode delivers superior cycling performance (420 mAh g

Björn Matthey (Fraunhofer IKTS, Dresden) is acknowledged for providing HfO2 and ZrO2 powders on short notice after DESY’s renowned customs office punished us. Parts of this research were carried out at Petra III at DESY, a member of the Helmholtz Association (HGF). The experiments on single Si:HfO2 thin film samples were performed at the CLAESS beamline at ALBA Synchrotron with the collaboration of ALBA staff. We would like to thank Edmund Welter for assistance (in using beamline P65) and DESY for enabling this research for proposal no. 20160591 and for travel support. T.S. acknowledges the German Research Foundation (DFG) for funding this work in the frame of the project “Inferox” (project no. MI 1247/11-2). B.J., J.L.J., and U.S. acknowledge funding from the Army Research Office through contract number W911NF-15-1-0593. This work was performed in part at the Analytical Instrumentation Facility (AIF) at North Carolina State University, which is supported by the State of North Carolina and the U.S. National Science Foundation (award number ECCS-1542015). The AIF is a member of the North Carolina Research Triangle Nanotechnology Network (RTNN), a site in the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI)., Despite increasing attention for the recently found ferro- and antiferroelectric properties, the polymorphism in hafnia- and zirconia-based thin films is still not sufficiently understood. In the present work, we show that it is important to have a good quality X-ray absorption spectrum to go beyond an analysis of the only the first coordination shell. Equally important is to analyze both EXAFS and XANES spectra in combination with theoretical modelling to distinguish the relevant phases even in bulk materials and to separate structural from chemical effects. As a first step toward the analysis of thin films, we start with the analysis of bulk references. After that, we successfully demonstrate an approach that allows us to extract high-quality spectra also for 20 nm thin films. Our analysis extends to the second coordination shell and includes effects created by chemical substitution of Hf with Zr to unambiguously discriminate the different polymorphs. The trends derived from X-ray absorption spectroscopy agree well with X-ray diffraction measurements. In this work we clearly identify a gradual transformation from monoclinic to tetragonal phase as the Zr content of the films increases. We separated structural effects from effects created by chemical disorder when ration of Hf:Zr is varied and found differences for the incorporation of the substitute atoms between powders and thin films, which we attribute to the different fabrication routes. This work opens the door for further in-depth structural studies to shine light into the chemistry and physics of these novel ferroelectric thin films that show high application relevance., DESY proposal no. 20160591; German Research Foundation MI 1247/11-2; Army Research Office W911NF-15-1-0593; State of North Carolina and the U.S. National Science Foundation (award number ECCS-1542015); Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART²

International audience; The reactivity of iron(II/III) oxide surfaces may be influenced by their interaction with silica, which is ubiquitous in aquatic systems. Understanding the structure–reactivity relationships of Si-coated mineral surfaces is necessary to describe the complex surface behavior of nanoscale iron oxides. Here, we use Si-adsorption isotherms and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to analyze the sorption and polymerization of silica on slightly oxidized magnetite nanoparticles (15% maghemite and 85% magnetite, i.e., ∼2 maghemite surface layers), showing that Si adsorption follows a Langmuir isotherm up to 2 mM dissolved Si, where surface polymerization occurs. Furthermore, the effects of silica surface coatings on the redox-catalytic ability of magnetite are analyzed using selenium as a molecular probe. The results show that for partially oxidized nanoparticles and even under different Si surface coverages, electron transfer is still occurring. The results indicate anion exchange between silicate and the sorbed SeIV and SeVI. X-ray absorption near-edge structure analyses of the reacted Se indicate the formation of a mixed selenite/Se0 surface phase. We conclude that neither partial oxidation nor silica surface coatings block the sorption and redox-catalytic properties of magnetite nanoparticles, a result with important implications to assess the reactivity of mixed-valence phases in environmental settings.

MAP2XANES is an intuitive Jupyter notebook that automatizes the analysis of synchrotron X-ray fluorescence imaging and X-ray absorption spectroscopy for the characterization of complex and heterogeneous samples. The notebook uses basic modules and functions from Numpy, Scipy, Pandas, iPywidgets and Matplotlib libraries for a powerful data reduction process that, in just a few clicks, guides the user through the visualization of elemental maps, space-resolved absorption spectra and their automatized analysis. In particular, by means of linear combination fit of the XANES spectra, the notebook determines the chemical species distribution in the sample under investigation. The direct output of the analysis process is the correlation between the different elemental distributions and the spatial localization of the chemical species detected. An application to mineralogy is thus presented, analyzing the Mn2+, Mn3+ and Mn4+ distribution in a mineral sample of hausmannite (Mn2+Mn2 3+O4), courtesy of the Museum of Natural Science of Barcelona.

The local structural and electronical transformations occurring along the first charge and discharge cycle of Li- and Mn-rich Li[Li0.2Ni0.16Mn0.56Co0.08]O2 cathode material have been characterized by X-ray absorption spectroscopy at several complementary edges. The irreversible spinel formation, occurring at the expenses of the cycling layered phase during the first charge, is quantified (about 10%) and spatially localized. The local strains induced by the Ni oxidation have been evaluated. They induce the formation of a low spin Mn3+ in the layered structure in parallel to the irreversible formation of the spinel phase in the particles bulk. The charge balance has been quantified for all the elements along the first charging cycle, confirming a reversible oxygen oxidation along the charge. Overall, these quantitative results provide an experimental basis for modeling aimed to control the structure and its evolution, for instance, hindering the spinel formation for the benefit of the material cycle life., This research was supported by the Spanish Government, through the “Severo Ochoa” Programme for Centers of Excellence in R&D (FUNFUTURE CEX2019-000917-S), and the projects MAT2017-91404-EXP, RTI2018-096273-B-I00, and RTI2018-097753-B-I00 with FEDER cofunding. D.T. participates in the FLOWBAT 2021 platforms promoted by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). The HIU authors acknowledge the basic funding from the Helmholtz Association.

Recently, ammonia-thermal reaction has been used for molecular intercalation in layered FeSe, resulting a new Lix(NH3)yFe2Se2 superconductor with Tc ~ 45 K. Here, we have used temperature dependent extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) to investigate local atomic displacements in single crystals of this new superconductor. Using polarized EXAFS at Fe K-edge we have obtained direct information on the local Fe-Se and Fe-Fe bondlengths and corresponding mean square relative displacements (MSRD). We find that the Se-height in the intercalated system is lower than the one in the binary FeSe, suggesting compressed FeSe4 tetrahedron in the title system. Incidentally, there is hardly any effect of the intercalation on the bondlengths characteristics, revealed by the Einstein temperatures, that are similar to those found in the binary FeSe. Therefore, the molecular intercalation induces an effective compression and decouples the FeSe slabs. Furthermore, the results reveal an anomalous change in the atomic correlations across Tc, appearing as a clear decrease in the MSRD, indicating hardening of the local lattice mode. Similar response of the local lattice has been found in other families of superconductors, e.g., A15-type and cuprates superconductors. This observation suggests that local atomic correlations should have some direct correlation with the superconductivity.

Temperature-dependent Fe K-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and Fe Kβ X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) measurements are used to study the local structure and local Fe magnetic...

The journal of physical chemistry / C 125(20), 11249 - 11256 (2021). doi:10.1021/acs.jpcc.1c02580 special issue: "D. D. Sarma Festschrift", The valence electronic structure of the half-metallic double perovskite $Sr_{2}FeMoO_{6}$ forms from a strongly hybridized band in the spin-down channel of Fe 3d and Mo 4d states that provides metallic conductivity and a gapped spin-up channel. The ground-state description has previously been explored in terms of many-body interactions where local and nonlocal interactions produce states with a combination of a charge-transfer configuration and intersite charge fluctuations. Here, we provide a qualitative understanding on nonlocal effects in $Sr_{2}FeMoO_{6}$ using a combination of core-level X-ray spectroscopies, specifically X-ray absorption, emission, and photoelectron spectroscopies. Our spectroscopic data indicate intersite Fe 4p–O 2p–Mo 4d interactions to be the origin of these nonlocalized transitions. Close to the Fermi level, this interaction is dominated by Mo 4d–O 2p character. When our data are compared against first-principles electronic structure calculations, we conclude that a full understanding of the nature of these states requires a spin-resolved description of the hybridization functions and that the nonlocal screening occurs predominantly through hybridization in the minority spin channel of the Mo 4d bands., Published by Soc., Washington, DC

Energy-dependent full field transmission soft X-ray microscopy (TXM) is able to give a full picture at the nanometer scale of the chemical state and spatial distribution of oxygen and other elements relevant for battery materials, providing pixel-by-pixel absorption spectrum. We show different methods to localize chemical inhomogeneities in Li1.2Mn0.56Ni0.16Co0.08O2 particles with and without VOx coating extracted from electrodes at different states of charge. Considering the 3d(Mn,Ni)-2p(O) hybridization, it has been possible to discriminate the chemical state of Mn and Ni in addition to the one of O. Different oxidation states correspond to specific features in the O-K spectra. To localize sample regions with specific compositions we apply two different methods. In the first, the pixel-by-pixel ratios of images collected at different key energies clearly highlight local inhomogeneities. In the second, introduced here for the first time, we directly correlate corresponding pixels of the two images on a xy scatter plot that we call phase map, where we can visualize the distributions as function of thickness as well as absorption artifacts. We can select groups of pixels, and then map regions with similar spectral features. Core-shell distributions of composition are clearly shown in these samples. The coating appears in part to frustrate some of the usual chemical evolution. In addition, we could directly observe several further aspects, such as: distribution of conducting carbon; inhomogeneous state of charge within the electrode; molecular oxygen profiles within a particle. The latter suggests a surface loss with respect to the bulk but an accumulation layer at intermediate depth that could be assigned to retained O2., This research was funded by Spanish Government, through the “Severo Ochoa” Programme for Centers of Excellence in R&D (FUNFUTURE CEX2019-000917-S), and the projects MAT2017-91404-EXP, RTI2018-096273-B-I00 and RTI2018-097753-B-I00 with FEDER cofunding. D.T. participates in the FLOWBAT 2021 platforms promoted by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). The HIU authors acknowledge the basic funding from the Helmholtz Association.

Stabilizing catalytic iron-oxo-clusters within nanoporous metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) is a powerful strategy to prepare new active materials for the degradation of toxic chemicals, such as bisphenol A. Herein, we combine pair distribution function analysis of total X-ray scattering data and X-ray absorption spectroscopy, with computational modelling to understand the local structural nature of added redox-active iron-oxo clusters bridging neighbouring zirconia-nodes within MOF-808.

The local structure of La(Fe

Stabilizing catalytic iron-oxo-clusters within nanoporous metal-organic frameworks (MOF) is a powerful strategy to prepare new active materials for the degradation of toxic chemicals, such as bisphenol A. Herein, we combine pair distribution function analysis of total X-ray scattering data and X-ray absorption spectroscopy, with computational modelling to understand the local structural nature of added redox-active iron-oxo clusters bridging neighbouring zirconia-nodes within MOF-808.

Modulating the structures of subnanometric metal clusters at the atomic level is a great synthetic and characterization challenge in catalysis. Here, we show how the catalytic properties of subnanometric platinum clusters (0.5–0.6 nm) confined in the sinusoidal 10R channels of purely siliceous MFI zeolite are modulated upon introduction of partially reduced tin species that interact with the noble metal at the metal/support interface. The platinum–tin clusters are stable in H over an extended period of time (>6 h), even at high temperatures (for example, 600 °C), which is determined by only a few additional tin atoms added to the platinum clusters. The structural features of platinum–tin clusters, which are not immediately visible by conventional characterization techniques but can be established after combination of in situ extended X-ray absorption fine structure, high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy and CO infrared data, are key to providing a one-order of magnitude lower deactivation rate in the propane dehydrogenation reaction while maintaining high intrinsic (initial) catalytic activity. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]., This work was supported by the European Union through the European Research Council (grant ERC-AdG-2014-671093, SynCatMatch) and the Spanish government through the “Severo Ochoa Program” (SEV-2016-0683). L.L. thanks the ITQ for providing a contract. The authors also thank the Microscopy Service of the UPV for the TEM and STEM measurements. The XAS measurements were carried out in the CLÆSS beamline of the ALBA synchrotron. We thank Giovanni Agostini for his kind support in the analysis of XAS data. HR-HAADF-STEM measurements were performed at DME-UCA at Cadiz University with financial support from FEDER/MINECO (MAT2017-87579-R and MAT2016-81118-P). C.W.L. thanks CAPES (Science without Frontiers - Process no. 13191/13-6) for a predoctoral fellowship. The financial support from ExxonMobil for this project is also greatly acknowledged.

Magnetotactic bacteria are aquatic microorganisms with the ability to biomineralise membrane-enclosed magnetic nanoparticles, called magnetosomes. These magnetosomes are arranged into a chain that behaves as a magnetic compass, allowing the bacteria to align in and navigate along the Earth's magnetic field lines. According to the magneto-aerotactic hypothesis, the purpose of producing magnetosomes is to provide the bacteria with a more efficient movement within the stratified water column, in search of the optimal positions that satisfy their nutritional requirements. However, magnetosomes could have other physiological roles, as proposed in this work. Here we analyse the role of magnetosomes in the tolerance of Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense MSR-1 to transition metals (Co, Mn, Ni, Zn, Cu). By exposing bacterial populations with and without magnetosomes to increasing concentrations of metals in the growth medium, we observe that the tolerance is significantly higher when bacteria have magnetosomes. The resistance mechanisms triggered in magnetosome-bearing bacteria under metal stress have been investigated by means of x-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES). XANES experiments were performed both on magnetosomes isolated from the bacteria and on the whole bacteria, aimed to assess whether bacteria use magnetosomes as metal storages, or whether they incorporate the excess metal in other cell compartments. Our findings reveal that the tolerance mechanisms are metal-specific: Mn, Zn and Cu are incorporated in both the magnetosomes and other cell compartments; Co is only incorporated in the magnetosomes, and Ni is incorporated in other cell compartments. In the case of Co, Zn and Mn, the metal is integrated in the magnetosome magnetite mineral core. The Spanish and Basque Governments are acknowledged for funding under projects number MAT2017-83631-C3-R and IT-1245-19, respectively. Dr. L. Marcano acknowledges the financial support provided through a postdoctoral fellowship from the Basque Government. The authors acknowledge the technical and human support provided by SGIker (UPV/EHU). The ESRF, MCIU, and CSIC are acknowledged for the provision of ESRF synchrotron radiation facilities. The authors thank Dr. Carlo Meneghini for providing the XANES spectra of Zn standards and R. Fernandez-Pacheco for his assistance in the EDS measurements.

We report on the electronic structure of doped $\mathrm{LaFe}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ at the crossover from an insulating-to-metallic phase transition. Comprehensive x-ray spectroscopic methodologies are used to understand core and valence electronic structure as well as crystal structure distortions associated with the electronic transition. Despite the antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering at room temperature, we show direct evidence of itinerant carriers at the Fermi level revealed by resonant photoemission spectroscopy (RPES) at the Mo ${L}_{3}$ edge. RPES data taken at the Fe ${L}_{3}$ edge show spectral weight near the valence band edge and significant hybridization with O $2p$ states required for AFM ordering. Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering spectra taken across Fe ${L}_{2,3}$ edges show electron correlation effects ($U$) driven by Coulomb interactions of $d$ electrons as well as broad charge-transfer excitations for $x\ensuremath{\ge}0.2$ where the compound crosses over to a metallic state. Site substitution of Fe by Mo ions in the Fe-${\mathrm{O}}_{6}$ octahedra enhances the separation of the two Fe-O bonds and Fe-O-Fe bonding angles relative to the orthorhombic $\mathrm{LaFe}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$, but no considerable distortions are present to the overall structure. Mo ions appear to be homogeneously doped, with average valency of both metal sites monotonically decreasing with increasing Mo concentration. This insulator-to-metal phase transition with AFM stability is primarily understood through intermediate interaction strengths between correlation ($U$) and bandwidth ($W$) at the Fe site, where an estimation of this ratio is given. These results highlight the important role of extrinsic carriers in stabilizing a unique phase transition that can guide future efforts in antiferromagnetic-metal spintronics.

International audience; An end-station for resonant inelastic X-ray scattering and (resonant) X-ray emission spectroscopy at beamline ID20 of ESRF - The European Synchrotron is presented. The spectrometer hosts five crystal analysers in Rowland geometry for large solid angle collection and is mounted on a rotatable arm for scattering in both the horizontal and vertical planes. The spectrometer is optimized for high-energy-resolution applications, including partial fluorescence yield or high-energy-resolution fluorescence detected X-ray absorption spectroscopy and the study of elementary electronic excitations in solids. In addition, it can be used for non-resonant inelastic X-ray scattering measurements of valence electron excitations.

While x-ray absorption spectroscopy is mainly governed by electric-dipole transitions, the technique of nonresonant inelastic x-ray scattering (NIXS) offers the possibility to explore higher-order multipole transitions. These transitions obey different selection rules that can reach final states of higher angular momenta, opening complementary spectroscopic perspectives. Here, we investigate the suitability of NIXS to study transuranium compounds. We show that the $K$ edge of the Be encapsulation can be practically fully excluded by using the imaging capabilities of the technique arising from the position of the signals on the multidetector. Experimental results for the multipole transitions at the actinide ${O}_{4,5}$ edges (90--120 eV) in ${\mathrm{UO}}_{2}$, ${\mathrm{NpO}}_{2}$, ${\mathrm{PuO}}_{2}$, and ${\mathrm{Pu}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ are compared with multielectronic calculations. The spectral features are shown to be very sensitive to the ratio of the triakontadipole and octupole transitions, which could potentially be used to assess the radial expansion of the $5f$ wave function, which is expected to occur in covalent mixing with the O $2p$ states.

LiMn 2O 4 is a promising candidate for a cathode material in lithium-ion batteries because of its ability to intercalate lithium ions reversibly through its three-dimensional manganese oxide network. One of the promising techniques for depositing LiMn 2O 4 thin-film cathodes is atomic layer deposition (ALD). Because of its unparalleled film thickness control and film conformality, ALD helps to fulfill the industry demands for smaller devices, nanostructured electrodes, and all-solid-state batteries. In this work, the intercalation mechanism of Li + ions into an ALD-grown β-MnO 2 thin film was studied. Samples were prepared by pulsing LiO tBu and H 2O for different cycle numbers onto about 100 nm thick MnO 2 films at 225 °C and characterized with X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray reflectivity, time-of-flight elastic recoil detection analysis, and residual stress measurements. It is proposed that for tBu/H 2O, the Li + ions penetrate only to the surface region of the β-MnO 2 film, and the samples form a mixture of β-MnO 2 and a lithium-deficient nonstoichiometric spinel phase Li xMn 2O 4 (0 < x < 0.5). When the lithium concentration exceeds x ≈ 0.5 in Li xMn 2O 4 (corresponding to 100 cycles of LiO tBu/H 2O), the crystalline phase of manganese oxide changes from the tetragonal pyrolusite to the cubic spinel, which enables the Li + ions to migrate throughout the whole film. Annealing in N 2 at 600 °C after the lithium incorporation seemed to convert the films completely to the pure cubic spinel LiMn 2O 4.

Li-rich layered transition metal oxides Li[Li0.2Ni0.16Mn0.56Co0.08]O2 are attractive electrode materials providing high energy densities, relatively good cycling stability with reduced environmental costs [1]. However, their utility in many applications suffers from both voltage and capacity fade, most likely related to structural transformations and not yet fully understood. The intrinsic complex nature of such materials strictly requires a multi-techniques approach to disentangle the several compositional degrees of freedom involved in their structure. In spite of being rich in Mn, not much attention is generally paid to the role of this component of such cathodes. In effect, it is important to access the Mn oxidation and spin states. Both such parameters are linked to the Mn size and magnetic interactions, and result key in defining the possible phases in which this cation is involved [1, 2-3], fundamental to control the reversibility of the reactions along cycling. Moreover, the Mn redox and spin state resulted correlated with Ni oxidation/reduction, also spatially, suggesting that strains induced on the Mn−O sublattice by the Ni oxidation are not negligible and can be used to control both the structure and the charge compensation mechanisms [2-3]. The results suggest that strategies can be elaborated to control the Li-rich NMC structure, hindering the spinel formation at the benefit of the electrode cycle life, and the charge compensation mechanism, accessing to an optimum O oxidation along the charge. [1] Rozier, P.; Tarascon, J. M. Li-Rich Layered Oxide Cathodes for Next-Generation Li-Ion Batteries: Chances and Challenges. J. Electrochem. Soc. 2015, 162 (14), A2490. [2] L. Simonelli et al. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 10, (2019), 3359 [3] S. Ali et al. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 12, (2021), 1195

The local structure of La(Fe1−x Mn x )AsO has been investigated using temperature dependent Fe K-edge extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurements. The EXAFS data reveal distinct behavior of Fe–As and Fe–Fe atomic displacements with a clear boundary between x ⩽ 0.02 and x > 0.02. The Fe–As bondlength shows a gradual thermal expansion while the Fe–Fe bond manifests a temperature dependent anomaly at ∼180 K for x > 0.02. It is interesting to find characteristically different nature of Fe–As and Fe–Fe bondlengths shown by the temperature dependent mean square relative displacements. Indeed, the Fe–As bond, stiffer than that of the Fe–Fe, gets softer for x ⩽ 0.02 and hardly shows any change for x > 0.02. On the other hand, Fe–Fe bond tends to be stiffer for x ⩽ 0.02 followed by a substantial softening for x > 0.02. Such a distinction has been seen also in the As K-edge x-ray absorption near edge structure, probing local geometry around As atom together with the valence electronic structure. The results suggest that local atomic displacements by Mn substitution inducing increased iron local magnetic moment that should be the main reason for its dramatic effect in iron-based superconductors.

Li-rich layered transition metal oxides Li[Li0.2Ni0.16Mn0.56Co0.08]O2 are attractive electrode materials providing high energy densities, relatively good cycling stability with reduced environmental costs [1]. However, their utility in many applications suffers from both voltage and capacity fade, most likely related to structural transformations and not yet fully understood [2]. We investigated the manganese oxidation and spin states which are linked to the Mn size and magnetic interactions, resulting key parameters in defining the possible phases in which this cation may be involved [1, 3], and then in controlling the reversibility of the reactions along cycling. The Mn redox-state, constantly in opposition to the expected charge compensation, and spin-state resulted correlated with Ni oxidation/reduction, also spatially, suggesting that strain induced on the Mn−O sublattice by Ni oxidation triggers Mn reduction [3]. To elaborate design strategies that can be used to control the structure, for instance, hindering the spinel formation at the benefit of the electrode cycle life, it results then fundamental to address quantitatively how the strain controls the Mn oxidation and spin state. Here we report about the local structural and electronical transformations during electrochemical cycling of a Li[Li0.2Ni0.16Mn0.56Co0.08]O2 cathode, combining several complementary techniques: X-ray absorption (Mn, Ni, and O K-edge) and X-ray emission spectroscopy (Mn Kβ emission line). We focus mainly on the first charge and discharge cycle, identifying few key states of charge: the pristine state, the beginning and the end of the high voltage plateau, and the fully charged and following discharged states. The partially irreversible spinel formation, occurring at the expenses of the cycling layered phase, is quantified. Moreover, the local strains induced by the Ni oxidation have been characterized. Finally, the quantification of the different Mn electronic phases present at the different charge states along the first cycle permits to determine the charge redistribution among all elements of the cathode material. The reported results unravel the role of strains in controlling the electrochemistry of Li-rich cathodes. [1] Rozier, P.; Tarascon, J. M. Li-Rich Layered Oxide Cathodes for Next-Generation Li-Ion Batteries: Chances and Challenges. J. Electrochem. Soc. 2015, 162 (14), A2490. [2] D. Mohanty et al. J. of Power Sources 229 (2013), 239 [3] L. Simonelli et al. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 10, (2019), 3359 Corresponding author: lsimonelli@cells.es

[EN] Subnanometric metal species (single atoms and clusters) have been demonstrated to be unique compared with their nanoparticulate counterparts. However, the poor stabilization of subnanometric metal species towards sintering at high temperature (>500 degrees C) under oxidative or reductive reaction conditions limits their catalytic application. Zeolites can serve as an ideal support to stabilize subnanometric metal catalysts, but it is challenging to localize subnanometric metal species on specific sites and modulate their reactivity. We have achieved a very high preference for localization of highly stable subnanometric Pt and PtSn clusters in the sinusoidal channels of purely siliceous MFI zeolite, as revealed by atomically resolved electron microscopy combining high-angle annular dark-field and integrated differential phase contrast imaging techniques. These catalysts show very high stability, selectivity and activity for the industrially important dehydrogenation of propane to form propylene. This stabilization strategy could be extended to other crystalline porous materials., This work has been supported by the European Union through the European Research Council (grant ERC-AdG-2014-671093, SynCatMatch) and the Spanish government through the Severo Ochoa Programme (SEV-2016-0683). L.L. thanks ITQ for providing a contract. The authors also thank the Microscopy Service of UPV for the TEM and STEM measurements. The XAS measurements were carried out in CLAESS beamline at the ALBA synchrotron. HR STEM measurements were performed at DME-UCA in Cadiz University with financial support from FEDER/MINECO (MAT2017-87579-R and MAT2016-81118-P). A relevant patent application (European patent application No. 19382024.8) has been presented. C.W.L. thanks CAPES (Science without Frontiers-Process no. 13191/13-6) for a predoctoral fellowship.

International audience; Iron is an essential nutrient for nearly all forms of life, although scarcely available due to its poor solubility in nature and complex formation in higher eukaryotes. Microorganisms have evolved a vast array of strategies to acquire iron, the most common being the production of high-affinity iron chelators, termed siderophores. The opportunistic bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa synthesizes and secretes two siderophores, pyoverdine (PVD) and pyochelin (PCH), characterized by very different structural and functional properties. Due to its chemical similarity with Fe(III), Ga(III) interferes with several iron-dependent biological pathways. Both PVD and PCH bind Fe(III) and Ga(III). However, while the Ga-PCH complex is more effective than Ga(III) in inhibiting P. aeruginosa growth, PVD acts as a Ga(III) scavenger and protects bacteria from Ga(III) toxicity. To gain more insight into the different outcomes of the biological paths observed for the Fe(III) and Ga(III)-siderophore complexes, better knowledge is needed of their coordination geometries that directly influence the metal complexes chemical stability. The valence state and coordination geometry of the Ga-PCH and Fe-PCH complexes has recently been investigated in detail; as for PVD complexes, several NMR structural studies of Ga(III)-PVD are reported in the literature, using Ga(III) as a diamagnetic isosteric substitute for Fe(III). In this work, we applied up-to-date spectroscopic techniques as synchrotron-radiation-induced X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (SR-XPS) and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy coupled with molecular modeling to describe the electronic structure and coordination chemistry of Fe and Ga coordinative sites in PVD metal complexes. These techniques allowed us to unambiguously determine the oxidation state of the coordinative ions and to gather interesting information about the similarities and differences between the two coordination compounds as induced by the different metal.

NaSn(2)As(2 )is mechanically exfoliable layered van der Waals (vdW) Zintl phase that is getting interesting due to its low thermal conductivity and recently observed superconductivity. Here, we have investigated the temperature dependent local structure of NaSn2As2 by a combined analysis of As K-edge and Sn K-edge extended x-ray absorption fine structure measurements. The system is intrinsically disordered with the interatomic distances largely consistent to those estimated by average structure measurements. The stretching force constants of different bond distances have been determined using temperature dependent mean square relative displacements. The Sn-As distance is the strongest bond in this system, having covalent nature, unlike the weaker interlayer distances which are characterized by vdW type bonding. Among them, As-Na distance is slightly weaker than Sn-Sn(i) below similar to 200 K and tends to get stronger above this temperature. The anomalous behavior of As-Na bond suggests that the mechanical exfoliation in this system is likely to be temperature dependent. The anomaly in the interlayer atomic correlations may be due to a charge density wave-like instability around this temperature, indicated by earlier experiments. The local structure and disorder are discussed in relation to the physical properties of NaSn2As2.