Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 February 2011
X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) has been very useful in elucidation the structure of polymer electrolytes, in particular ion-ion and ion-polymer interactions. Several examples are discussed. One is the use of XAS to study the effect of temperature on ion pairing. The other is the elucidation of the mixed cation effect on electrolyte conductivity. Several investigations have indicated abnormally high oxygen coordination numbers for cations. These are discussed.