The stainless steel chamber was specifically conceived and designed for housing an interferometer controlled scanning transmission x-ray microscope (STXM). The construction of the chamber is such that internal components of the microscope rest within the chamber and are fixed to a 4 inch stainless steel belly band. The integral and most important part of the chamber is the belly band, which serves to isolate high frequency vibrations (e.g., floor surroundings, people traffic) from the sensitive measurements performed using the microscope. In addition, the chamber effectively acts as a sound barrier to the nanometer measurements conducted within. The assembled chamber (and microscope) are readily adjustable at the micron level using strut members external to the chamber but fixed to the belly band and a stand made of polymer concreate.

High-resolution X-ray microscopy is used to investigate the sequence of lithiation in LiFePO4 porous electrodes. For electrodes with homogeneous interparticle electronic connectivity via the carbon black network, the smaller particles lithiate first. For electrodes with heterogeneous connectivity, the better-connected particles preferentially lithiate. Correlative electron and X-ray microscopy also reveal the presence of incoherent nanodomains that lithiate as if they are separate particles.

Oxygen migration in tantalum oxide, a promising next-generation storage material, is studied using in operando X-ray absorption spectromicroscopy. This approach allows a physical description of the evolution of conduction channel and eventual device failure. The observed ring-like patterns of oxygen concentration are modeled using thermophoretic forces and Fick diffusion, establishing the critical role of temperature-driven oxygen migration.