Publication date: 15th December 2025
The transition from fossile fuels to renewable energy sources requires the efficient conversion of energy. Key for various conversion strategies, such as heterogeneous catalysis or batteries, are reactions at solid-gas, solid-liquid and solid-solid interfaces. The interaction of the solid with the environment leads to the occurence of local chemical dynamics under reaction conditions that can be reversible or irreversible and are decisive for the life and dead of the functional material. Those local chemical dynamics can be visualized and captured by operando electron microscopy enabling a direct way to correlate structure with function.
In this talk I will focus on operando electron microscopy investigation of solid-gas and solid-liquid interfaces under realistic working conditions and show how they can help to deepen our understanding for various energy applications, such as CO2 hydrogenation, CO2 reduction reaction, dry reforming of methane or ammonia synthesis. The experimental setup includes scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy each conducted under reaction conditions using homebuilt systems. These experiments are complemented by near-ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Using these examples, I will discuss the influence of frustrated phase transitions on the function, the benefit of oscillating reactions, show the importance of conducting long-term experiments and the importance of controlling the interplay of morphology and electronic structure.
In summary, operando electron microscopy experiments are important to support the quest for the ideal energy conversion material by providing more detailed structure-function correlations and allow for capturing metastable states that are important for the lifetime of a functional material, which are often overlooked by ex situ analysis.
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