Mastering the Use of Nanoprobes Beamlines for Electrochemistry: The Importance of Tracking Radiation Damage and Exploring Material Heterogeneity

Electrochemistry plays a crucial role in addressing energy transition challenges, with synchrotron radiation (SR) significantly enhancing the understanding of electrochemical systems. SR's importance has grown with the advent of fourth-generation synchrotron facilities, which offer specialized beamlines for spatially-resolved studies of nanomaterials. These facilities enable novel techniques, but also introduce challenges, especially with the need for high brilliance and potential radiation damage to samples. In addition, nanoscale spatial resolution allows detailed examination of material heterogeneity linking properties like morphology and electronic state to overall activity and, in some cases, an increase in sensitivity. However, this also raises issues of representativeness in data analysis and presentation. In this work, we discuss these two topics. First, we illustrate the importance of tracking radiation damage via control experiments in electrochemistry using fourth-generation beamlines. Then, we show the advantages/disadvantages of nanoscale analysis in enhancing XAS sensitivity, emphasizing the importance of careful data interpretation and communication to avoid misleading information.