Abstracts Book - IMRC 2018

• SD6-P010
ELECTROCHEMICAL SMALL-ANGLE SCATTERING AND
REFLECTIVITY PROBES FOR THE STUDY OF COMPLEX FLUID-
SOLID INTERFACES
Jose Banuelos 1
1 University of Texas at El Paso, Physics, United States.
X-ray and neutron scattering techniques combined with in situ electrochemical
measurements are a powerful approach to investigate the nanoscale structure
of fluid-solid interfaces in electrical energy storage (EES) materials. By
simultaneously measuring nanoscale structural changes under electrochemical
(EC) control, e.g., the voltage-dependent transport and adsorption of ions into
hierarchical micro- and mesoporous carbon materials, a direct link can be made
between EC phenomena and physical mechanisms underlying EES. The benefits
of signal enhancement via isotopic substitution will be highlighted in small-angle
neutron scattering (SANS) results of ion sorption kinetics in mesoporous carbon.
In addition, recent efforts by the Nanomaterials Interfaces and Confinement for
Energy & the Environment (NICE 2 ) Laboratory at UTEP to develop in-situ EC
capabilities with small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), Grazing-incidence SAXS
(GISAXS), and x-ray reflectivity (XRR) will be presented. These techniques allow
probing length scales of 0.5 – 300 nm. SAXS may be applied to understanding
fluid and ion transport in porous media, while GISAXS and XRR are
nondestructive probes to study nanostructure in directions lateral and normal
to a planar interface. Such capabilities can elucidate the details of the threedimensional
electrical double layer (3D-EDL) formed by room temperature ionic
liquids. Studies of the voltage-dependent 3D –EDL formed by two different
imidazolium-based room temperature ionic liquids on a glassy carbon substrate
will be presented.
Acknowledgment:
The University of Texas at El Paso New Faculty Start-up Fund.
Keywords: X-RAY SCATTERING, room temperature ionic liquids, electrochemical
control
Presenting authors email: jlbanuelos@utep.edu