Direct observation of defect levels in InN by soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy

We have used synchrotron-based near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy to study the electronic structure of nitrogen-related defects in InN(0001). Several defect levels within the band gap or the conduction band of InN were clearly resolved in NEXAFS spectra around the nitrogen K-edge. We attribute the level observed at 0.3 eV below the conduction band minimum (CBM) to interstitial nitrogen, the level at 1.7 eV above the CBM to antisite nitrogen, and a sharp resonance at 3.2 eV above the CBM to molecular nitrogen, in full agreement with theoretical simulations.     

XPS and XANES study of layered mineral valleriite

Mineral valleriite of the Talnakh deposit, which consists of alternating copper-iron sulfide layers and brucite-like layers of magnesium-aluminium hydroxide is studied for the first time by XPS at photon excitation energies ranging from 1.253 keV to 6 keV and CuL FeL, SL, AlL, MgK, and OK edge TEY XANES using synchrotron radiation. The comparison of the XPS and XANES spectra of valleriite and chalcopyrite, in particular, demonstrates that in the sulfide layers of valleriite, Cu⁺ and Fe³⁺ are in a tetrahedral coordination, however, a local positive charge on both cations is slightly lower than that in chalcopyrite, apparently, due to a structure disorder. The concentration of oxygen-bound iron decreases with an increase in the depth of the analyzed layer even after ion etching; probably, Fe does not enter into the brucite-like layer, but mainly forms its own surface structures.     

In situ XANES study of Mn in promoted sulfated zirconia catalysts

Mn-promoted sulfated zirconia catalysts (2 wt% Mn) were investigated in situ, during the catalyst activation, isomerization of n-butane, and subsequent re-activation, using X-ray absorption spectroscopy of the Mn K-edge. The average valence of Mn in the catalysts, as determined from the edge position, was found to change from either 2.65 or 2.77 in the calcined samples to about 2.5 during activation in He (703 K for 30 min). During the isomerization of n-butane (1% in He, 80 ml min-1, 0.5 g catalyst at 333 K), the average Mn valence did not change further. When the catalyst was activated in 50% O2 the average valence only decreased from about 2.78 to 2.72. In this case, the average valence during the isomerization reaction decreased at a nearly constant rate both during the induction of activity and deactivation of the catalyst. The data do not support a stoichiometric redox reaction involving the promoter as initiator of the isomerization. However, a higher Mn valence after activation was indicative of a higher maximum conversion. It is concluded that the promoter cations function through modification of the structure of the zirconia.     

Highly mixed phases in ball-milled Cu/ZnO catalysts: an EXAFS and XANES study

New highly mixed phases have been identified in Cu/ZnO systems by EXAFS and XANES at both the Cu and Zn K-edge. The phases were generated by ball-milling Cu(2)O/ZnO mixtures under three different atmospheres of synthetic air (SA), SA + CO(2) and CO(2). The system milled in CO(2) shows disproportionation of Cu(2)O into Cu(0), Cu(1+) (cuprite Cu(2)O-type phase) and Cu(2+) (tenorite CuO-type phase), while most of the Zn(2+) is transformed into a nanocrystalline/amorphous ZnO-type zincite that forms a superficial mixture of oxide and carbonate phases. When synthetic air is added to the CO(2) atmosphere, ball milling results in the oxidation of nearly half the Cu(1+) into Cu(2+) with no Cu metal formed. The copper phase in this material is almost entirely amorphous. In SA, a significant amount of Cu(2+)- and Zn(2+)-based phases appears to react to form a nanocrystalline/amorphous Cu(1-x)Zn(x)O (x approximately 0.3) solid solution. This distorted rock saltlike solid solution, in which Zn and Cu feature different octahedral environments, was never reported before. It is thought to be formed by incorporation of Zn(2+) in the Cu fcc sublattice of the cuprite Cu(2)O matrix and the concomitant oxidation of Cu(1+) into Cu(2+). The formation of such a highly mixed Cu(1-x)Zn(x)O phase indicates strong Cu/Zn interaction in the Cu/ZnO system, which also suggests the presence of highly mixed phases in conventionally prepared activated catalysts.     

Polarized lifetime-broadening-suppressed XANES study of La2−xSrxCuO4

Lifetime-broadening-suppressed X-ray absorption near-edge structures (LBS-XANES) spectra, where the resolution is not restricted by core-hole lifetime widths, have been measured at the Cu K-edge on the prototypical high-T_c La_2−xSr_xCuO₄ (x=0, 0.15, and 0.29) single crystals. Thanks to improved resolution, 1s-3d excitation bands have been clearly separated from the main transitions and their concentration as well as polarization dependences are examined.     

Inverse problem in XANES theory

The latest results obtained by a method based on the formalism of the poles of the S matrix are reported. The maxima of one-electron origin in the soft X-ray absorption spectra are assigned the coordinates of the S-matrix poles in a complex plane of energies for a model imitating a real system. The oscillator strengths and the heights of maxima are now additionally taken into account as the initial data along with the energies and widths of maxima. The role of the Watson sphere, which should be introduced in the muffintin models for molecules, is examined. The formalism for the combined inclusion of XANES and EXAFS was developed. This elaboration of the method allows an increased accuracy of inverse problem solving in the theory of X-ray absorption spectra compared to methods developed earlier.     

Theoretical study of sulfur L-edge XANES of thiol protected gold nanoparticles

The Scalar Relativistic-Zero Order Regular Approximation-Time Dependent Density Functional Theory has been employed to study the sulfur L-edge XANES spectrum of the [Au(25)(SCH(3))(18)](+) model cluster, with the aim to reproduce and rationalize previous experimental data. The salient experimental features are properly described by the present calculation. The model cluster contains two different types of bidentate "staple" ligand thiol fragments, and it has been possible to assign the spectral features according to the different location of the initial core orbital on one of the two different fragments. This finding suggests that in the real nanoparticle two different non-equivalent type of sulfur bidentate ligands are present, arranged with the typical staple geometry.     

Superiority of K-edge XANES over LIII-edge XANES in the speciation of iodine in natural soils.

Environmental behavior of iodine is of great importance especially related to the release of radioiodine from the processing of nuclear fuel, nuclear accidents, etc. To understand the fate of radioactive iodine in soil-water systems, it is necessary to establish a speciation method of iodine in soil. XANES is one of the most important candidates and we compared the performance of L(III)-edge and K-edge XANES for this purpose. In particular, fluorescence XANES with a multi-element semiconductor detector is essential for the measurement of XANES spectra for trace amounts of iodine in natural soil samples. When comparing L(III)- and K-edges, L(III)-edge XANES can be useful for the speciation due to its ability to distinguish various iodine species in their XANES spectra. However, at L(III)-edge measuring iodine L(alpha) emission, the proximity of its energy to those of Ca K(alpha) and K(beta1) causes a large contribution of background X-rays in the XANES spectra, since Ca is a major element in soil. Thus, it was concluded that K-edge XANES is more useful than L(III)-edge for the speciation of iodine in natural soils owing to its lower detection limit. The K-edge XANES was successfully applied to the speciation of natural iodine in a soil sample (iodine concentration: 55.8 mg/kg), showing that iodine is present in the sample as organo-iodine species incorporated in humic substances.     

Nitrogen defects in wide band gap oxides: defect equilibria and electronic structure from first principles calculations

The nitrogen related defect chemistry and electronic structure of wide band gap oxides are investigated by density functional theory defect calculations of N, NH, and as well as and in MgO, CaO, SrO, Al(2)O(3), In(2)O(3), Sc(2)O(3), Y(2)O(3), La(2)O(3), TiO(2), SnO(2), ZrO(2), BaZrO(3), and SrZrO(3). The N acceptor level is found to be deep and the binding energy of NH with respect to and is found to be significantly negative, i.e. binding, in all of the investigated oxides. The defect structure of the oxides was found to be remarkably similar under reducing and nitriding conditions (1 bar N(2), 1 bar H(2) and 1 × 10(-7) bar H(2)O): NH predominates at low temperatures and predominates at higher temperatures (>900 K for most of the oxides). Furthermore, we evaluate how the defect structure is affected by non-equilibrium conditions such as doping and quenching. In terms of electronic structure, is found to introduce isolated N-2p states within the band gap, while the N-2p states of NH are shifted towards, or overlap with the VBM. Finally, we assess the effect of nitrogen incorporation on the proton conducting properties of oxides and comment on their corrosion resistance in nitriding atmospheres in light of the calculated defect structures.     

Sulfur K-edge XANES study of dihydrolipoic acid capped gold nanoparticles: dihydrolipoic acid is bound by both sulfur ends

Dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA) capped gold nanoparticles (Au@DHLA) are characterized in solid and liquid states by sulfur K-edge XANES spectroscopy; it clearly shows that DHLA is anchored to gold thanks to both sulfur ends.     

Polarized XANES spectroscopy: The K edge of layered K-rich silicates

Angle-resolved XANES spectra have been collected at the potassium K edge using polarized synchrotron radiation on several natural mica crystals. Experimental data have been interpreted on the basis of the MS theory and, within this theoretical framework, the edge of this low-Z atom is decomposed so as to produce two partial patterns giving, respectively, the full in-plane absorption spectrum and the full out-of-plane one. The method here described is appropriate to describe the X-ray dichroic behaviour of solid layered compounds and/or two-dimensionally extended structures.     

Speciation of elements in atmospheric particulate matter by XANES

The atmospheric particulate matter samples were collected in Shanghai, China. The X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectra of Cr, Mn, Cu and Zn were measured. The XANES spectroscopy was used as a fingerprint to compare with that of reference materials to obtain speciation information. The oxidation state of these elements and main chemical components in the samples were described using the method. The results show that in our samples the oxidation state of Cr is trivalent, Mn mainly exists in the divalent state, Cu also exists in the divalent state, and Zn mainly exists in the zinc sulfate. For the XANES spectra of samples with different particle size and from different sampling site, we did not find their obvious differences. When we compared the XANES spectra of our samples with those of standard reference material SRM 1648, we found that they are similar in regards to the determined elements. The elemental concentrations in the samples were determined by proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE). The difference of elemental concentrations was observed in the different samples.     

Nitrogen lone pair interactions in organic molecules: a photoelectron spectroscopic study

The electronic structure of several cyclic, saturated and unsaturated amines and imines has been investigated by UV photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). The analysis of spectra has been performed with DFT and OVGF calculations and comparison with the UPS spectra of related compounds. The extent and type of nitrogen lone pair interactions is discussed because nitrogen lone pairs are the most important functional groups present in these molecules. The magnitude of interactions was found to depend on the spatial orientation and rigidity of mutual positions of the lone pairs, rather than on their spatial distance.     

Effect of temperature on aluminum coordination in zeolites H-Y and H-USY and amorphous silica-alumina: an in situ Al K edge XANES study

In situ Al K edge XANES spectroscopy shows that the fraction of octahedrally coordinated aluminum in amorphous silica-alumina (ASA) and ultrastable Y zeolite (USY) decreases with increasing temperature under vacuum. In H-USY, about 10% of the aluminum remains octahedrally coordinated at 673 K, while, in ASA, virtually all the octahedrally coordinated aluminum is converted to tetrahedral coordination. In crystalline nonsteamed protonic zeolites, the fraction of octahedrally coordinated aluminum decreased to zero at 300 K. This is ascribed to the greater flexibility of the amorphous silica-alumina network in hosting water molecules and to the high concentration of silanol groups, which stabilize the hydrogen bonds. A large fraction of the nonframework aluminum in USY is amorphous silica-alumina.     

Addition of carboxylic acids modifies phosphate sorption on soil and boehmite surfaces: a solution chemistry and XANES spectroscopy study

Soil acidification is a globally significant agricultural issue, as the plant availability of phosphorus (P) is decreased through increased P sorption onto aluminium (Al) hydroxides and other solid phase binding sites. X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy generated new information on the speciation of Al and P in the presence of carboxylic acids on soil and boehmite (gamma-AlOOH) surfaces. XANES spectra were acquired in the soft X-ray regime at the P and Al L(2,3)-edges, and the Al K-edge, respectively. Adding oxalic acid to soil enhanced Al dissolution and exposed previously occluded soil P, while hydroxybenzoic and coumaric acids did not compete with P for surface binding sites. Boehmite strongly adsorbed carboxylic acids in the absence of applied phosphorus. However, when P was applied with carboxylic acids, the carboxylics were unable to compete with P for binding, especially hydroxybenzoic and coumaric acids. Using XANES in both total electron yield and fluorescence yield modes provided valuable information on both surface and near-surface processes of P and Al due to different information depths. The Al K-edge XANES provided baseline information on the solid-phase matrix. XANES in total electron yield mode and at the P L-edge shows promise for speciation of elements on soil surfaces due to enhanced sensitivity for speciation of surface-adsorbed species compared to the commonly used P K-edge XANES.     

Die H-Phasen: Ti2CdC,Ti2GaC,Ti2GaN,Ti2InN,Zr2InN und Nb2GaC

Zusammenfassung Die ternären Phasen Ti₂CdC, Ti₂GaC, Ti₂GaN, Ti₂InN, Zr₂InN und Nb₂GaC werden aus Monocarbid bzw.-nitrid, Übergangsmetall und Metametall hergestellt. Die Verbindungen erweisen sich sämtlich mit Cr₂AlC (H-Phase) isotyp. Die Gitterparameter werden ermittelt.     

Vanadium Speciation by XANES Spectroscopy: A Three‐Dimensional Approach

A library of X‐ray absorption near‐edge structure (XANES) spectroscopic data for V^V, V^IV and V^III complexes with a broad range of biologically relevant ligand has been used to demonstrate that three‐dimensional plots of key XANES parameters (pre‐edge and edge energies; pre‐edge and white line intensities) can be used for the prediction of V oxidation states and coordination numbers in biological or environmental matrices. The reliability of the technique has been demonstrated by re‐analysis of the published XANES data for a V^V‐dependent bromoperoxidase.     

Nitrogen and water adsorption in aluminum methylphosphonate alpha: a molecular simulation study

We present here Monte Carlo simulation and experimental results on the adsorption of nitrogen and water in aluminum methylphosphonate polymorph alpha (AlMePO-alpha). We have assumed a detailed atomic model for the material, using experimental information to construct the simulation cell. Nitrogen was modeled with two different approaches: as a simple Lennard-Jones (LJ) sphere with no charges, and as a diatomic molecule with charges explicitly included. Water was represented by the TIP4P model. Experimental adsorption isotherms were used to tune the proposed molecular model for the adsorbent. Simulated adsorption capacities were in agreement with the experimental results obtained for the studied systems. The influence of the surface model on the adsorption behavior was taken into account by considering different values of the surface methyl group size parameter. Our results corroborate the strong sensitivity of the simulation results to this parameter, as previously observed by Schumacher and co-workers. It is also observed that charged models are essential to accurately describe the low-pressure region of the adsorption isotherm, where the solid-fluid interaction rules the system behavior. However, a simple uncharged molecular model for nitrogen is able to describe the three loci arrangement at maximum loading. Experimental and simulation results presented here also confirm the low water affinity of AlMePO-alpha. These results enforce the application of this methodology to achieve quantitative predictions on similar systems, with the appropriate transferability of the molecular parameters.     

Toward the assignment of the manganese oxidation pattern in the water-oxidizing complex of photosystem II: a time-dependent DFT study of XANES energies

Density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent DFT (TDDFT) calculations are reported on three sets of isomeric models of the {Mn₄/Ca} water‐oxidizing complex of photosystem II (PS II), which share the general formula [CaMn₄O₄(N₂C₃H₄)(RCOO)₆]^q?(H₂O)_n (R=H, CH₃; q=?1, 0, +1, +2; n=3, 4, 5, 6, 7). Comparison with the full range of available data on Mn K‐edge X‐ray absorption energy values determined for the photosystem allows us to validate the structures that correspond to the particular S states and to determine their Mn oxidation patterns. By using a new TDDFT procedure, it is shown that variations in the absolute K‐edge energy values for a particular S state, reported by different research groups, can be quantitatively explained by different geometries adopted by the Mn cluster, which demonstrates flexibility in the position of the fourth ‘dangling’ Mn atom in relation to a cubane structure created by the Ca atom and the three other Mn atoms. Computational results show that each step of the S cycle occurs by removal of one electron directly from the Mn cluster. This Mn‐centered oxidation still agrees with the small difference observed experimentally between the K‐edge energy values of the S₂ and S₃ states of the photosystem, thus resolving a controversy as to whether this represents ligand‐centered or metal‐centered oxidation. The overall oxidation state of Mn atoms in the tetramanganese cluster during functional turnover changes from 2.75 for S₀, 3.00 for S₁, and 3.25 for S₂ up to 3.50 for the S₃ state, which is systematically 0.50 lower than the previously proposed oxidation states of the cluster. The calculations give insight into why these earlier, purely empirical, assignments of the Mn oxidation levels in PS II could be in error.