LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ spinel cathode was studied during the first discharge cycle using combined full field TXM and XANES techniques to follow the chemical phase transformation as well as the microstructural evolution of cathode materials upon operation within an electrochemical cell.

We report about an in situ study of crystalline structural changes during thermal treatment of a Ba_0.5Sr_0.5TiO₃ (BSTO) film grown on MgO. The study covers the complete cycle of heating, annealing and cooling and reveals simultaneous phenomena of phase transitions and strain evolution, which have been characterized by in situ 2D reciprocal space mapping (2D-RSM) using high-resolution synchrotron x-ray diffraction in coplanar and grazing incidence geometries. In this way, temperature induced phase transformation from the BSTO2 to the BSTO1 phase has been monitored and the appearance of a further crystalline phase was detected. Moreover, for both BSTO phases, transitions between in-plane compressive and tensile states have been determined during thermal treatment. Furthermore, a contraction of the out-of-plane lattice components has been observed during the annealing phase while the in-plane lattice components remain leading to the change of the residual in-plane strain towards tensile state. The in situ 2D-RSM findings provide valuable and versatile insights into strain engineering and structure modification upon thermal treatment.

The superconducting wiggler beamline IMAGE at the KIT Light Source is dedicated to full-field hard X-ray imaging applications in materials and life sciences, with a focus on high-throughput computed tomography, laminography experiments and systematic in situ and operando studies. With two experimental hutches, IMAGE provides space for its dedicated permanent experimental stations UFO-II and LAMINO-II as well as for flexible custom setups. IMAGE allows parallel beam imaging experiments in monochromatic, pink or white beam mode, with spatial resolutions ranging from ∼1 µm to ∼30 µm and a large horizontal and vertical field of view of up to 44 mm × 8 mm, respectively. Photon energies between 8 keV and 40 keV are provided by a double-crystal or double-multilayer monochromator optics with energy resolutions of 0.01% and 1.5–2.7%, respectively. The filtered white beam mode provides high flux densities of up to 7.5 × 10¹⁴ photons s⁻¹ mm⁻² at the sample position and energy spectra extending up to about 120 keV.