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Third Webinar of the Battery2030+ Series Explores Nanoscale Confinement at Battery Interfaces
The third webinar of the series “Time and Length-Scale Operando Bridging Techniques to Study Battery Interfaces” took place on 22 January 2026, bringing together researchers interested in understanding how nanoscale confinement shapes electrochemical processes at battery interfaces.
The webinar series is jointly organised by our project, OPERA, and ULTRABAT within the Battery2030+ initiative.
The goal is simple but ambitious — to help scientists see inside batteries while they work.
Understanding Battery Interfaces at the Nanoscale
Battery interfaces are critical regions where charge storage reactions occur and where key parameters such as performance, lifetime and safety are ultimately determined. Many of these processes take place under strong spatial confinement at the nanoscale, where ions, solvents and electrode materials interact differently than in bulk systems.
Capturing these effects during battery operation remains a major scientific challenge. Operando characterisation methods help address this challenge by enabling direct observation of structural, chemical and mechanical changes as batteries cycle. By combining complementary techniques, researchers can connect nanoscale phenomena with macroscopic battery behaviour and performance.
As in previous sessions, the webinar combined a short methodological introduction with a research-focused presentation, fostering discussion and knowledge exchange across disciplines.
How Nanoscale Confinement Shapes Electrochemical Interfaces
The session featured Dr. Simon Fleischmann (Helmholtz Institute Ulm – HIU), who presented “How nanoconfinement shapes electrochemical interfaces: Insights from operando characterisation.”
The presentation highlighted how confined environments at electrode interfaces influence ion solvation, charge-transfer reactions and interfacial resistance. Using a range of advanced operando methods — including X-ray diffraction, electrochemical dilatometry and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance measurements — the speaker demonstrated how structural and chemical changes can be followed directly during battery cycling.
Research examples showed how nanoconfinement affects charge-storage mechanisms, co-intercalation processes and reaction kinetics in layered and nanostructured electrode materials. These insights support the development of improved electrode designs and more stable, high-performance battery systems.
The webinar underlined the importance of combining complementary operando techniques to obtain a mechanistic understanding of interfacial processes and to link nanoscale phenomena with overall battery performance.
