What is it about?
Many new materials with promising properties can be predicted by computation, but we still do not know how to synthesize many of them. This review highlights how in situ synchrotron X-ray techniques allow researchers to watch materials form in real time, revealing intermediate phases and reaction pathways that cannot be captured by conventional measurements. Recent examples show how these insights can help control synthesis, understand the interplay between thermodynamics and kinetics, and ultimately move materials development from trial-and-error toward more rational and predictive design.
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Why is it important?
Discovering a promising material is only the first step—we also need to know how to make it. Materials synthesis is often governed by complex kinetic processes and still relies heavily on trial-and-error. By revealing what happens during a reaction, in situ synchrotron X-ray measurements provide the experimental knowledge needed to understand and control synthesis pathways. Combined with computational modeling, automation, and AI, these capabilities could accelerate the development of new energy and functional materials and help establish a more predictive science of materials synthesis.
Perspectives
Preparing this review was particularly meaningful to me because it brought together several in situ and operando studies conducted at NSLS-II that I have had the opportunity to be involved with or follow closely. Over the years, I have seen synchrotron X-ray experiments evolve from primarily identifying phase transformations to quantitatively resolving reaction pathways and helping test predictive models of materials synthesis. It was rewarding to reflect on this progress and to highlight the contributions of colleagues and collaborators who are advancing the field.
Jianming Bai
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: In Situ
and
Operando
Synchrotron X-Ray Studies for Rational Materials Design and Synthesis, Synchrotron Radiation News, September 2026, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/08940886.2026.2705809.
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