Photoelectron spectroscopy can analyze various substances at the atomic level and is widely used in the study of electrode catalysts in fuel cell development. Up to know, this had to be done under vacuum making observation of the actual operation environment of the electrode catalyst impossible. By using hard x-ray waves generated by synchrotron radiation at RIKEN’s Harima Science Park City, it became possible possible to measure the energy of electrons even under atmospheric pressure by increasing the kinetic energy of emitted electrons.
NEDO news release, June 28, 2017
NEDO team develops photoelectron spectroscopy allowing the observation of electrocatalysts under atmospheric pressure