High-resolution KLM Auger spectra of Ni metal excited by X-rays

KLM Auger spectra of Ni metal were measured with high energy resolution and high statistical accuracy using monochromatic synchrotron radiation. The spectra were corrected for the background from inelastically scattered electrons using partial intensity analysis where the electron trajectories were calculated by Monte Carlo simulation. Following background correction, the corrected spectra were fitted to model peaks taking into account intrinsic excitations. The measured transition energy of the most intense KL₂M₃ (¹D₂) Auger line is 7388.1 eV (0.4). The obtained relative intensities and energies of the Auger diagram lines are compared to published calculations as well as to experimental data for other 3d transition metals. In addition, the presence of Ni 3s, 3p photoelectron peaks in the spectra excited internally by Ni K X-rays is shown.     

Comparison of the background corrected valence band XPS spectra of Fe and Co aluminides and silicides with their electronic structures

The background corrected valence band XPS spectra and the electronic structures of FeAl, FeSi, CoAl and CoSi were studied. Clean surfaces of the polycrystalline samples were obtained by in situ fracturing of the samples in an XPS spectrometer. The energy loss parts of the Fe 2p, Co 2p and valence band spectra were removed by the deconvolution method using Al 2s or Si 2s spectra as response functions. CoAl exhibited a satellite peak in the Co 2p region, but the other compounds had no clear satellite peaks in the Co 2p and Fe 2p regions. The experimentally background corrected valence band spectra were compared with the calculated spectra using the first-principle band calculation. There were large discrepancies between the spectra above the binding energy of 5 eV. These indicated that the experimental spectra could not be explained by the electronic structures of the ground states alone.     

Removal of inelastic scattering part from Ti2p XPS spectrum of TiO2 by deconvolution method using O1s as response function

Ti2p and O1s XPS spectra of a clean surface of single crystal TiO₂ fractured in situ were taken to study the removal of the inelastic scattering part from the Ti2p spectrum. The features of inelastic scattering peaks in EELS were more influenced by surface than O1s XPS. It indicates that O1s XPS is proper as the response function to deconvolute a Ti2p spectrum. FWHM of the non-energy loss peak of Ti2p_3/2 is smaller than that of O1s. When the raw O1s spectrum is used as the response function, the deconvoluted spectrum has negative intensity values in some regions and beat waves. The replacement of the non-energy loss peak of O1s with narrower Gaussian peak takes off the beat waves. Peak separation of the deconvoluted spectrum reveals that it has six peaks. Two of them are main peaks of Ti2p_3/2 and 2p_1/2. The others are classified into two kinds of satellite peaks, whose energy separation from the main peaks are 3 and 13 eV. Although the latter satellites have been discussed by many authors, the former satellites are first reported here.     

Fe3O4@Au纳米材料的制备和光谱性质

采用共沉淀法制备了Fe3O4纳米颗粒,并以其为晶种利用晶种生长法制备了Fe3O4@Au磁性复合纳米粒子。吸收光谱显示Au壳层成功包覆在了Fe3O4纳米核的表面。以结晶紫为探针分子的表面增强拉曼散射（SERS）光谱展示了Fe3O4@Au良好的SERS活性。     

Spin-dependent valence-band density of states of 3d ferromagnets

Spin-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (SRXPS) and high resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HRXPS) studies of the valence bands of ferromagnetic Fe, Co, Co₆₆Fe₄Ni₁B₁₄Si₁₅ and Ni are reported. The SRXPS and HRXPS spectra are compared with theoretical densities of states (DOS) that are corrected for photoelectric cross section variations within the valence band. Agreement between theory and experiment is very good for ferromagnetic Fe and Co₆₆Fe₄Ni₁B₁₄Si₁₅. For Co metal, experiment agrees poorly with theory incorporating a 1.5 eV exchange splitting. Agreement is improved if a reduced Co exchange splitting of 1.2 eV is adopted theoretically. The reduced exchange splitting is attributed to valence electron correlation in Co metal. Ferromagnetic Ni shows poor agreement between experiment and theory. The SRXPS Ni spectra demonstrate that most of the disagreement concerns the ↑-spin channel.     

Plasmon loss structure in synchrotron radiation photoemission from Mg films

Synchrotron radiation excitation has been used to vary the kinetic energy of electrons photoemitted from the 2p core level of polycrystalline magnesium films and the energy-dependence of the accompanying plasmon loss structure has been observed. Difficulties associated with background subtraction are discussed, and it is shown that the method of background subtraction profoundly affects the conclusions drawn from such an experiment on the relative importance of plasmon and single particle excitation mechanisms for electron scattering. Very thin films of Mg have also been studied in an attempt to separate the intrinsic and extrinsic modes of plasmon creation. Although the plasmon loss structure is dependent on film thickness implying a considerable contribution from extrinsic processes, we are not able to observe plasmons excited in the thin film by electrons originating in the substrate core level. The implications of these results are discussed and further experiments suggested.     

Background subtraction: I. General behaviour of Tougaard-style backgrounds in AES and XPS

An analysis is made of Tougaard-style backgrounds for homogeneous materials to show how parameters interact together and comprise the general inelastic scattering background in electron spectroscopy. It is shown that insight is usefully gained by rewriting the Tougaard universal loss function in terms of two parameters, the characteristic energy, E₁, of the exponential decay observed in multiple self-convolutes of the Tougaard universal single loss function, and the centroid energy of the single loss function. Close fits to the measured background may be made over a wide energy range for only one value of E₁ which defines a unique relation between Tougaard’s B and C values but does not give the unique values themselves. For the single value of E₁, the centroid energy may be varied such that the background subtracted spectra range from those shown by Tougaard, where the intrinsic shake-up and losses may constitute two thirds of the peak intensity, to spectra similar to those of Jo in which all of the intrinsic losses are removed. Studies of Al X-ray excited Sc, Cu, Sm and Au photoelectron spectra, each of which has an extensive range of peaks, show that the relative intensities of the peaks are unaffected by the choice of the value of even though the absolute peak areas may change by a factor of 3.     

Relation between 2p X-ray photoelectron and Kα X-ray emission spectra of manganese and iron oxides

The high resolution Mn and Fe Kα X-ray emission spectra (XES), and Mn and Fe 2p X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) for manganese and iron oxides were measured. The spectra were compared with those of [MnO₄]⁻, [Fe(CN)₆]⁴⁻ and [Fe(CN)₆]³⁻ ions. As the electronic structure of the latter compounds do not change with electron hole creation in the core levels, satellite peaks due to charge transfer are not observed in the 2p XPS spectra, and the peak profiles of metal 2p XPS and Kα XES are governed by the exchange splitting between 2p and valence electrons. The metal 2p XPS spectra of the oxides had satellite peaks, but the XES spectra had no satellites. FWHMs of the metal 2p_3/2 main peaks of the compounds being low spin states are smaller than those of metal Kα₁ XES spectra. However, FWHMs of Mn 2p_3/2 of the manganese oxide were nearly equal to those of Mn Kα₁ XES spectra, and those of Fe 2p_3/2 XPS spectra of the iron oxides are greater than those of Fe Kα₁ XES spectra.     

Interplay of intra-atomic and interatomic effects: an investigation of the 2p core level spectra of atomic Fe and molecular FeCl2

The 2p photoabsorption and photoelectron spectra of atomic Fe and molecular FeCl2 were studied by photoion and photoelectron spectroscopy using monochromatized synchrotron radiation and atomic or molecular beam technique. The atomic spectra were analyzed with configuration interaction calculations yielding excellent agreement between experiment and theory. For the analysis of the molecular photoelectron spectrum which shows pronounced interatomic effects, a charge transfer model was used, introducing an additional 3d(7) configuration. The resulting good agreement between the experimental and theoretical spectrum and the remarkable similarity of the molecular with the corresponding spectrum in the solid phase opens a way to a better understanding of the interplay of the interatomic and intra-atomic interactions in the 2p core level spectra of the 3d metal compounds.     

New interpretations of XPS spectra of nickel metal and oxides

A current interpretation of XPS spectra of Ni metal assumes that the main 6 eV satellite is due to a two hole c3d⁹4s² (c is a core hole) final state effect. We report REELS observation in AES at low voltages of losses (plasmons and inter-band transitions) corresponding to the satellite structures in Ni metal 2p spectra. The satellite near 6 eV is attributed to a predominant surface plasmon loss. A current interpretation of Ni 2p spectra of oxides and other compounds is based on charge transfer assignments of the main peak at 854.6 eV and the broad satellite centred at around 861 eV to the cd⁹L and the unscreened cd⁸ final-state configurations, respectively (L is a ligand hole). Multiplet splittings have been shown to be necessary for assignment of Fe 2p and Cr 2p spectral profiles and chemical states. The assignments of Ni 2p states are re-examined with intra-atomic multiplet envelopes applied to Ni(OH)₂, NiOOH and NiO spectra. It is shown that the free ion multiplet envelopes for Ni²⁺ and Ni³⁺ simulate the main line and satellite structures for Ni(OH)₂ and NiOOH. Fitting the NiO Ni 2p spectral profile is not as straightforward as the hydroxide and oxyhydroxide. It may involve contributions from inter-atomic, non-local electronic coupling and screening effects with multiplet structures significantly different from the free ions as found for MnO. A scheme for fitting these spectra using multiplet envelopes is proposed.     

Structural,magnetic and XPS studies of Sn0.95Co0.05O2-0.05 and Sn0.95Fe0.05O2-0.05 nanoparticles

Structural, microstructural, X-ray photoemission spectra (XPS) and magnetic properties of transition metal ion [5 mol% of Co (SC5) and Fe (SF5)]-doped SnO₂ nanoparticles have been studied. The SC5 and SF5 nanoparticles were synthesized by a chemical route using polyvinyl alcohol as surfactant. The doped SnO₂ crystallites were found to exhibit a tetragonal rutile structure and the average grains size was measured by the Scherer relation of X-ray diffraction. Transmission electron micrographs showed that the average grain size of SC5 is smaller than SF5. SC5 nanoparticles showed strong ferromagnetic behaviour but SF5 exhibited an F-centre exchange (FCE) mechanism. Temperature-dependent magnetization showed the values of phase transition temperature. XPS confirmed the presence of Sn–O–Co and Sn–O–Fe bonds in these SC5 and SF5 nanoparticles. The oxidation states of Sn, Co and Fe were found to be +4, +2 and +2, respectively, while the core level XPS peaks of Sn 3d, O 1s, Co 2p and Fe 2p were analyzed.     

Surface termination, composition and reconstruction of Fe3O4(001) and γ-Fe2O3(001)

We address a current controversy concerning the nature of the surfaces of Fe₃O₄(001) and γ-Fe₂O₃(001) grown on MgO(001) by molecular beam epitaxy. Despite recent claims to the contrary, we show that γ-Fe₂O₃(001) unambiguously exhibits a (1×1) surface net, in contrast to Fe₃O₄(001), which assumes a R45 reconstruction. In addition, we present high-energy-resolution Fe 2p and O 1s core-level photoelectron spectra obtained at both normal and grazing emission for γ-Fe₂O₃(001) and Fe₃O₄(001). These spectra show that the Fe₃O₄(001) surface has a higher Fe(III)/Fe(II) ratio than the bulk, and that the asymmetry in the O 1s line shape for Fe₃O₄(001) is due to final state effects rather than the presence of a surface oxygen or hydroxyl species.     

H掺杂α-Fe2O3的第一性原理研究

α-Fe₂O₃是一种重要的磁性半导体材料, 在电子器件中应用广泛, 具有重要的研究意义. 本文基于密度泛函理论, 采用GGA+U方法, 应用第一性原理对间隙H掺杂前后的六方相α-Fe₂O₃的晶格常数、态密度、Bader 电荷分布进行了计算分析. 研究了U值对结果的影响, 发现U=6 eV时, 体相α-Fe₂O₃的晶胞平衡体积、Fe原子磁矩、带隙值与实验值最符合. 在选取合适U值后, 第一性原理计算结果表明, H掺杂后, 间隙H部分被氧化, 其最近邻的Fe 和O部分被还原, H和O有一定程度的成键. 在费米面附近, 出现了新的杂化能级, 杂化能级扩展了价带顶的宽度, 同时导带底下移, 引起带隙减小, 表明H掺杂是一种有效的能带结构调控方法.     

A STEM/EELS method for mapping iron valence ratios in oxide minerals

The valence state of iron in minerals has useful applications in the geosciences for estimating redox conditions during mineral formation or re-equilibration. STEM/EELS techniques offer the advantage over other methods of being able to measure Fe valence with very high spatial resolution across mineral grains and grain boundaries. We have modified an EELS method for point analyses of iron valence ratios (Fe(3+)/SigmaFe) making it possible to generate line scans and maps of Fe valence. We demonstrate this method with measurements at an interface between iron-bearing oxides in a finely intergrown sample of magnetite and ilmenite. The STEM/EELS method is based on a calibrated relationship between Fe(3+)/SigmaFe and the relative intensities of the Fe L(3) and L(2) white lines in core energy-loss spectra for oxide and silicate minerals. Our method overcomes problems of energy drift in spectrum images by aligning energy-loss edges at a fixed energy position prior to background removal. An automated routine for batch processing of core loss spectra, including additional background removal and calculation of Fe L(3)/L(2) intensity ratios, allows for rapid Fe(3+)/SigmaFe determinations of multiple point analyses or spectrum images and the preparation of Fe valence maps, with an analytical error of +/-0.05 to +/-0.09 in the Fe(3+)/SigmaFe measurements.     

The angular dependence of plasmon loss features in XPS spectra from polycrystalline aluminum: Clean surfaces and effects of oxygen adsorption

The angular dependence of relative intensities of bulk- and surface-plasmon loss peaks associated with X-ray photoemission from the Al 2p core level has been measured for aluminum samples under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. At near-grazing electron exit angles, a sixfold increase in the single-surface-plasmon relative intensity is observed, while the single-bulk-plasmon relative intensity is decreased by ～20%. These experimental results are compared with theoretical calculations based on a dispersionless-plasmon jellium model and including both extrinsic and intrinsic plasmon creation. The presence of intrinsic creation is suggested and theoretical relative intensities are in good agreement with, although generally somewhat higher than, corresponding experimental values. For specimens with low coverages of oxygen (～0.15 monolayer), only surface-plasmon loss features are found to be associated with the O 1s core level, indicating near-surface adsorption.     

Fe3O4@Ag纳米粒子的制备与表征

采用共沉淀法制备了Fe3O4纳米颗粒,并以之为原料利用晶种生长法进一步制备Fe3O4@ Ag复合纳米材料.利用紫外-可见吸收光谱和表面增强拉曼散射光谱对复合纳米材料的性能进行表征,显示Fe3O4@ Ag复合纳米材料具有良好的SERS活性.     

Analysis of XPS spectra of Fe and Fe ions in oxide materials

Samples of the iron oxides Fe_0.94O, Fe₃O₄, Fe₂O₃, and Fe₂SiO₄ were prepared by high temperature equilibration in controlled gas atmospheres. The samples were fractured in vacuum and high resolution XPS spectra of the fractured surfaces were measured. The peak positions and peak shape parameters of Fe 3p for Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ were derived from the Fe 3p XPS spectra of the standard samples of 2FeO·SiO₂ and Fe₂O₃, respectively. Using these parameters, the Fe 3p peaks of Fe₃O₄ and Fe_1−yO are analysed. The results indicate that high resolution XPS techniques can be used to determine the Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ ratios in metal oxides. The technique has the potential for application to other transition metal oxide systems.     

A Bishop-type electron inelastic energy loss cross-section

The highly successful Shirley-type background correction method was unsuccessfully extended for the case of sloping background. Based on the recently published Shirley-equivalent electron inelastic energy loss cross-section function, a possible Bishop-type cross-section function is presented. The cross-section-based background correction method successfully produces sloping and non-sloping backgrounds as well. Tails based on the cross-section can also be derived. Evaluation methods based on the derived cross-section function have been implemented and tested.     

Fe:Mg:LiNbO3晶体电子结构和吸收光谱的第一性原理研究

基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理, 研究了LiNbO₃晶体以及不同Mg浓度的Fe:Mg:LiNbO₃晶体的电子结构和吸收光谱. 研究结果显示: 掺铁铌酸锂晶体的杂质能级由Fe 的3d轨道和O的2p轨道贡献, 禁带宽度为2.845 eV; 对于Mg, Fe共掺样品, Mg的浓度小于或等于阈值时, 禁带宽度分别为2.901 和2.805 eV; 掺铁铌酸锂晶体的吸收谱在2.3和2.6 eV处分别存在一个吸收峰, 其强度因Mg的浓度不同而发生变化. 研究结果还表明, 不同浓度的Mg对晶体内Fe²⁺和Fe³⁺的浓度以及占位产生了不同的影响. 还提出了光电子的形成不应单独考虑铁的轨道电子态, 而应同时考虑与铁成键的氧的轨道电子态的观点.     

有机-无机复合纳米材料的传感应用及机理

有机-无机杂化复合纳米材料可以在微观尺寸上将有机和无机组分相结合,使复合材料兼具两种组分的优点,实现所需的性能或功能,因此成为材料学的研究热点之一。本文以有机荧光染料罗丹明、三苯胺和金属配合物发光材料为母体,制备出一系列对汞离子、铜离子、铁离子等常见金属离子具有明显光谱响应的探针类材料并选取合适的支撑基质组装成有机-无机复合材料,实现了对金属离子和一些阴离子的目视比色传感。不同离子的加入及加入顺序都会对探针类材料的吸收及发光光谱造成明显的变化。以不同的金属离子或氧气作为输入值,以吸收强度/发光强度作为输出值,模拟了分子水平的逻辑门,拓展了这些材料的应用。为了解决背景荧光干扰,我们利用六角相的β-NaYF4纳米晶为激发源,采用二氧化硅进行包覆,然后将荧光探针分子固载到二氧化硅表面,得到了对金属离子具有传感性能的核壳型的上转换纳米复合材料。在近红外激发下能够显示明亮的上转换绿光发射,同时对金属离子具有较好的选择性、较高的灵敏度,并且其荧光强度表现出对汞离子浓度的线性响应。这种纳米复合材料的上转换光学性质、汞离子传感性能使它们在分析化学、生物化学等领域有潜在的应用价值。