The linkage between optical and electrochemical properties of V₂O₅ cathodes during cycling in aqueous Zn-ion batteries using wide-field reflectivity

Abstract

Understanding dynamic processes in battery materials under real-time conditions is critical for advancing electrochemical storage technologies. Here, we develop an operando optical technique to probe changes in the wide-field reflectance of vanadium oxide cathodes during cycling in aqueous Zn-ion batteries by using a budget-friendly experimental setup and lab-made Python code. The results indicate that brightness of the vanadium oxide was dramatically changed with intercalation process at certain states-of-(dis)charge. Our methodology correlates wide-field reflectance changes with electrochemical behavior, enabling operando monitoring of the materials' evolution in aqueous battery systems.