Research on light-driven catalysis has gained tremendous importance due to the ever-increasing power consumption and the threatening situation of global warming related to burning fossil fuels. Significant efforts have been dedicated to artificial photosynthesis mimicking nature to split H₂O into H₂ and O₂ by solar energy. Novel semiconductor und molecular photocatalysts focusing on one-step excitation processes via single component photocatalysts or via two-step excitation processes mimicking the Z-scheme of natural photosynthesis are currently developed. Analytical and physicochemical methods, which provide information at different time and length scales, are used to gain fundamental understanding of all processes leading to catalytic activity, i.e., light absorption, charge separation, transfer of charges to the reaction centres and catalytic turnover, but also understanding degradation processes of the photocatalytic active material. Especially, molecular photocatalysts still suffer from limited long-term stability due to the formation of reactive intermediates, which may lead to degradation. Although there is an overwhelming number of research articles and reviews focussing on various materials for photocatalytic water splitting, to date only few reviews have been published providing a comprehensive overview on methods for characterizing such materials. This review will highlight spectroscopic, spectroelectrochemical, and electrochemical approaches in respect to their potential in studying processes in semiconductor and (supra)molecular photocatalysts. Special emphasis will be on spectroscopic methods to investigate light-induced processes in intermediates of sequential electron transfer chains. Further, microscopic characterization methods, which are predominantly used for semiconducting and hybrid photocatalytic materials will be reviewed as surface area, structure, facets, defects, and bulk properties such as crystallinity and crystal size are key parameters for charge separation, transfer processes and suppression of charge recombination. Recent developments in scanning probe microscopy will also be highlighted as such techniques are highly suited for studying photocatalytic active material.

In recent years, major developments in scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) have significantly broadened the application range of this electroanalytical technique from high-resolution electrochemical imaging via nanoscale probes to large scale mapping using arrays of microelectrodes. A major driving force in advancing the SECM methodology is based on developing more sophisticated probes beyond conventional micro-disc electrodes usually based on noble metals or carbon microwires. This critical review focuses on the design and development of advanced electrochemical probes particularly enabling combinations of SECM with other analytical measurement techniques to provide information beyond exclusively measuring electrochemical sample properties. Consequently, this critical review will focus on recent progress and new developments towards multifunctional imaging.

The anode/electrolyte interface behavior, and by extension, the overall cell performance of sodium‐ion batteries is determined by a complex interaction of processes that occur at all components of the electrochemical cell across a wide range of size‐ and timescales. Single‐scale studies may provide incomplete insights, as they cannot capture the full picture of this complex and intertwined behavior. Broad, multiscale studies are essential to elucidate these processes. Within this perspectives article, several analytical and theoretical techniques are introduced, and described how they can be combined to provide a more complete and comprehensive understanding of sodium‐ion battery (SIB) performance throughout its lifetime, with a special focus on the interfaces of hard carbon anodes. These methods target various length‐ and time scales, ranging from micro to nano, from cell level to atomistic structures, and account for a broad spectrum of physical and (electro)chemical characteristics. Specifically, how mass spectrometric, microscopic, spectroscopic, electrochemical, thermodynamic, and physical methods can be employed to obtain the various types of information required to understand battery behavior will be explored. Ways are then discussed how these methods can be coupled together in order to elucidate the multiscale phenomena at the anode interface and develop a holistic understanding of their relationship to overall sodium‐ion battery function.

Immune cell activation leads to the acquisition of new functions, such as proliferation, chemotaxis, and cytokine production. These functional changes require continuous metabolic adaption in order to sustain ATP homeostasis for sufficient host defense. The bioenergetic demands are usually met by the interconnected metabolic pathways glycolysis, TCA cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. Apart from glucose, other sources, such as fatty acids and glutamine, are able to fuel the TCA cycle.Rising evidence has shown that cellular metabolism has a direct effect on the regulation of immune cell functions. Thus, quiescent immune cells maintain a basal metabolic state, which shifts to an accelerated metabolic level upon immune cell activation in order to promote key effector functions.This review article summarizes distinct metabolic signatures of key immune cell subsets from quiescence to activation and demonstrates a methodical concept of how to assess cellular metabolic pathways. It further discusses why metabolic functions are of rising interest for translational research and how they can be affected by the underlying pathophysiological condition and/or therapeutic interventions.