Local structure and bias-driven phase separation in potassium acetate– and acetonitrile–modified aqueous zinc acetate electrolytes

2026-08-08T12:44:39Z https://icatplus.esrf.fr/oaipmh/request

oai:icatplus.esrf.fr:inv/2437810254 2026-07-18T06:00:25.188Z

4.2 EI 10.15151/ESRF-ES-2437810254 JULITA TABOR Julita Tabor 0009-0000-9823-0039 Luis KITSU IGLESIAS Luis Kitsu Iglesias 0000-0002-9292-4416 Marco DI MICHIEL Marco Di Michiel 0000-0002-1039-3579 JULITA TABOR Julita Tabor 0009-0000-9823-0039 Loren ANDREWS Loren Andrews 0009-0004-0014-1177 Luis KITSU IGLESIAS Luis Kitsu Iglesias 0000-0002-9292-4416 Loren ANDREWS Loren Andrews 0009-0004-0014-1177 Local structure and bias-driven phase separation in potassium acetate– and acetonitrile–modified aqueous zinc acetate electrolytes Example Institute 2029 Data from large facility measurement 2026-07-15T06:00:00Z/2026-07-18T06:00:00Z 2026-07-18T06:00:00Z I CC-BY-4.0 We will use X-ray pair distribution function (XPDF) at ESRF ID15A to resolve local structure in aqueous zinc acetate electrolytes modified with potassium acetate (co-salt) or acetonitrile (co-solvent). For the potassium acetate series, we will quantify how zinc coordination, ion pairing, and clustering evolve with composition and hydration, and relate these motifs to conductivity, zinc-ion transference, and plating behavior. For the acetonitrile series, we will measure bulk solutions and cloud-point compositions; under applied bias we will collect spatially resolved XPDF across the cell to track phase separation and local structural rearrangement. XPDF will provide sub-ångström real-space resolution, enabling extraction of short- and medium-range order. The resulting local structure–property relationships will guide electrolyte designs that stabilize zinc metal anodes and mitigate hydrogen evolution.