Correlation between the O 2p Orbital and Redox Reaction in LiMn0.6Fe0.4PO4 Nanowires Studied by Soft X‐ray Absorption

The changes in the electronic structure of LiMn_0.6Fe_0.4PO₄ nanowires during discharge processes were investigated by using ex situ soft X‐ray absorption spectroscopy. The Fe L ‐edge X‐ray absorption spectrum attributes the potential plateau at 3.45 V versus Li/Li⁺ of the discharge curve to a reduction of Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺. The Mn L ‐edge X‐ray absorption spectra exhibit the Mn²⁺ multiplet structure throughout the discharge process, and the crystal‐field splitting was slightly enhanced upon full discharge. The configuration‐interaction full‐multiplet calculation for the X‐ray absorption spectra reveals that the charge‐transfer effect from O 2p to Mn 3d orbitals should be considerably small, unlike that from the O 2p to Fe 3d orbitals. Instead, the O K‐edge X‐ray absorption spectrum shows a clear spectral change during the discharge process, suggesting that the hybridization of O 2p orbitals with Fe 3d orbitals contributes essentially to the reduction.     

X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopic chemical state quantification of mixed nickel metal,oxide and hydroxide systems

Quantitative chemical state X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis of mixed nickel metal, oxide, hydroxide and oxyhydroxide systems is challenging due to the complexity of the Ni 2p peak shapes resulting from multiplet splitting, shake‐up and plasmon loss structures. Quantification of mixed nickel chemical states and the qualitative determination of low concentrations of Ni(III) species are demonstrated via an approach based on standard spectra from quality reference samples (Ni, NiO, Ni(OH)₂, NiOOH), subtraction of these spectra, and data analysis that integrates information from the Ni 2p spectrum and the O 1s spectra. Quantification of a commercial nickel powder and a thin nickel oxide film grown at 1‐Torr O₂ and 300 °C for 20 min is demonstrated. The effect of uncertain relative sensitivity factors (e.g. Ni 2.67 ± 0.54) is discussed, as is the depth of measurement for thin film analysis based on calculated inelastic mean free paths. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

XPS primary excitation spectra of Zn 2p,Fe 2p,and Ce 3d from ZnO, α-Fe2O3, and CeO2

Metal oxides are important for current development in nanotechnology. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) is a widely used technique to study the oxidation states of metals, and a basic understanding of the photoexcitation process is important to obtain the full information from XPS. We have studied core level excitations of Zn 2p, Fe 2p, and Ce 3d photoelectron emissions from ZnO, α-Fe₂O₃, and CeO₂. Using an effective energy-differential XPS inelastic-scattering cross section evaluated within the semiclassical dielectric response model for XPS, we analysed the experimental spectra to determine the corresponding primary excitation spectra, ie, the initial excitation processes. We find that simple emission (Zn 2p) as well as complex multiplet photoemission spectra (Fe 2p and Ce 3d) can be quantitatively analysed with our procedure. Moreover, for α-Fe₂O₃, it is possible to use the software package CTM4XAS (Charge Transfer Multiplet program for X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy) to calculate its primary excitation spectrum within a quantum mechanical model, and it was found to be in good agreement with the spectrum determined by analysis of the experiment.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Two Novel Complexes of Cr(III) with Benzilmonoxime

The reaction of benzilmonoxime (BMOH) with CrCl₃.6H₂O in methanol gives the mono nuclear Cr(III) complex, [Cr(BMO)3₃ ( 1 ). Reaction of complex 1 with a methanolic solution of KOH at room temperature leads to a di‐nuclear Cr(III)‐Cr(III) complex, [Cr(BMO)₂(OH)]₂ ( 2 ). The complexes were characterized on the basis of their elemental analysis, Mass, IR, ¹H and ¹³C‐NMR and electronic spectra. The IR studies were useful in assigning the coordination mode of the benzilmonoxime ligand to the chromium(III) ion. In addition, the presence of a hydroxo bridge in the dimeric complex 2 is inferred from the IR spectral studies. The electronic spectra of the complexes revealed two bands due to d–d transitions, and one band assignable to an oxygen (p_π)→Cr(eg*) LMCT transition observed in both complexes. An additional charge transfer transition, assignable to μ‐OH(p_π)→Cr(eg*), was only observed for the dimeric complex 2 . The splitting energy and Racah parameter were calculated to be 18484 cm^‐1 and 560 cm^‐1 for [Cr(BMO)₃] ( 1 ), 17986 cm^‐1 and 545 cm^‐1 for [Cr(BMO)₂(OH)]₂ ( 2 ) respectively.     

A comparative XPS and UPS study of VOx layers on mineral TiO2(001)‐anatase supports

Four vanadium oxide layers on mineral TiO₂(001)‐anatase supports with different thickness (3–33 Å) were prepared with reactive d.c. magnetron sputtering and were extensively studied with photoelectron spectroscopy. Al Kα radiation and 150 eV synchrotron radiation were used as excitation sources. The evolution of the 2p, 3s and 3p core level line shapes of V and Ti as a function of the vanadium oxide thickness was studied, as well as the O1s and O2s core lines and the valence band. All the V2p spectra of the deposited vanadium oxide layers consist of at least 60% V⁵⁺, the rest being V⁴⁺. The V3p region is complicated by multiplet splitting, which prevents the determination of the vanadium oxidation state. The V3p multiplet splitting is different for the two excitation energies. No reduction of the titania support surface due to the vanadium oxide deposition was observed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Polymerization of aniline derivatives by K2Cr2O7 and production of Cr2O3 nanoparticles

Oxidative polymerization of aniline, anthranilic acid, and aniline‐co‐anthranilic acid by potassium dichromate Cr(VI) as an oxidant in acidic medium was investigated. In this study, the polymerization process of aniline, o‐anthranilic acid as well as aniline/o‐anthranlic acid using K₂Cr₂O₇ produced, coordinated Cr(III)/polyaniline (PANI), Cr(III)/polyanthranilic acid (PAA) and Cr(III)/poly aniline‐co‐anthranilic acid (PANAA). The mechanism of polymerization reaction in the presence of dichromate was hypothesized. The precursor chromium doped polymers were characterized by TGA, FT‐IR, UV‐visible, XRD analyses. Cr₂O₃ nanoparticles size were determined using TEM analysis. The calcinations process of synthesized chromium doped PANI, PAA and PANAA yields Cr₂O₃ nanoparticles 26%, 31%, and 34% wt. respectively. Rhombohedral phase of Cr₂O₃ particles in the range from 33 to 61 nm was produced from chromium/polyanthranilic acid (PAA) and chromium/poly(aniline‐co‐anthranilic acid) PANAA. UV‐ visible analysis showed that optical band gaps (E_g) of doped poly aniline and its derivatives are in the range from1.55 to 1.80 using Tacu's law. The band gap values reveal that the doped chromium emeraldine base can be used as semiconductor materials. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sol‐Gel Synthesis and Photocatalytic Study of Visible Light Active N‐Doped KSbWO6

KSbWO₆ was prepared by sol‐gel method. N‐doped KSbWO₆ (KSbWO_6–xN_x) was obtained by heating KSbWO₆ and urea at 400 °C. Both the compounds are characterized by powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD), TEM, SEM‐EDS, X‐ray photo electronic spectroscopy (XPS), and UV/Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV‐DRS). A shift in the peak positions of powder XRD and XPS spectra was observed. The band gap energy (E_g) of KSbWO₆ and N‐doped KSbWO₆ was obtained from their diffused reflectance spectra.E_g was reduced from 3.17 eV to 2.56 eV upon nitrogen doping in KSbWO₆. The reduction of the E_g is attributed to the lifting of valence band of N‐doped KSbWO₆, due to the mixing of O 2p states with N 2p states. The photocatalytic activity of both the samples was studied by degradation of methylene blue (MB). The nitrogen doped KSbWO₆ shows higher photocatalytic activity compared to that of KSbWO₆.     

A novel route for synthesis of NiCoP/SiO2 hydrodesulfurization catalysts with active S species

We report a new route for synthesis of NiCoP/SiO₂ with active S species using NiS and CoS as precursors. The as‐prepared catalysts were characterized using X‐ray powder diffraction, N₂‐adsorption specific surface area measurements, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The catalyst was highly active during the dibenzothiophene hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of NiCoP/SiO₂. The XPS spectra of the as‐obtained samples show that the surface of NiCoP contains a small amount of S species, which may be responsible for the higher HDS activity.     

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of [Cr(thd)2(OEt)]2

The mixed‐ligand complex [Cr(thd)₂(OEt)]₂ [(thd)^– = anion of H(thd) = C₁₁H₂₀O₂ = 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylheptane‐3,5‐dione] appears as by‐product when EtOH/H₂O is used as solvent during preparation of Cr(thd)₃. [Cr(thd)₂(OEt)]₂ can be difficult to separate from Cr(thd)₃ by sublimation, but separation is easily accomplished by extracting Cr(thd)₃ with acetone. A detailed account for the sublimation behavior of [Cr(thd)₂(OEt)]₂/Cr(thd)₃ mixtures is advanced. Good yields of [Cr(thd)₂(OEt)]₂ are obtained when CrCl₃, H(thd), and Na(EtO) react in absolute EtOH. [Cr(thd)₂(OEt)]₂ is obtained in the form of green needle‐shaped crystals by recrystallization from toluene. The crystal structure is triclinic [a = 10.2919(15), b = 10.6686(16), c = 14.194(3) Å, α = 106.559(2), β = 107.869(2), and γ = 98.326(2)° at 295 K; space group P . The complex contains two crystallographic equivalent chromium atoms, which are bridged by two cis‐configured ethoxy groups, the four remaining sites in the octahedral coordination around each chromium atom being occupied by oxygen atoms from two thd ligands. The bond lengths and angles concur with the findings for related molecular complexes. The temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility of [Cr(thd)₂(OEt)]₂ follows Curie–Weiss law with Weiss constant θ ≈? –65 K and μ_p = 3.87 μ_B.     

Repair of defects created by Ar+ sputtering on graphite surface by annealing as confirmed using ToF‐SIMS and XPS

Defects were created on the surface of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) by sputtering with an Ar⁺ ion beam, then characterized using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) at 500°C. In the XPS C1s spectrum of the sputtered HOPG, a sp³ carbon peak appeared at 285.3 eV, representing surface defects. In addition, 2 sets of peaks, the C_x⁻ and C_xH⁻ ion series (where x = 1, 2, 3...), were identified in the ToF‐SIMS negative ion spectrum. In the positive ion spectrum, a series of C_xH₂^+• ions indicating defects was observed. Annealing of the sputtered samples under Ar was conducted at different temperatures. The XPS and ToF‐SIMS spectra of the sputtered HOPG after 800°C annealing were observed to be similar to the spectra of the fresh HOPG. The sp³ carbon peak had disappeared from the C1s spectrum, and the normalized intensities of the C_xH⁻ and C_xH₂^+• ions had decreased. These results indicate that defects created by sputtering on the surface of HOPG can be repaired by high‐temperature annealing.     

Fabrication,characterization, and photocatalytic performance of TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> hybridized with SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Nanostructures TiO₂–SiO₂ photocatalysts were successfully synthesized using the sol-gel method, hydro-calcination, co-precipitation and room-temperature solid-phase synthesis technology. X-ray powder diffraction pattern (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR), photoluminescence (PL) spectra, thermal analyses (TG–DTA), scanning electron micrographs (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS) were used to characterize the as-synthesized catalysts. Photocatalytic performances of the catalysts were evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under s imulated natural light and the degradation rate of MO is 97.2%. The composites showed a good stability: after five recycling runs there are no significant decreases in the photocatalytic activity. The photodegradation of methylene blue, rhodamine B, methyl violet, naphthol green B, basic fuchsin, malachite green, and methyl red were also tested, and the degradation rate of dyes could reach over 94.2 %. A possible mechanism for the photocatalysis with the TiO₂–SiO₂ was proposed.     

X-ray and UV photoemission studies of valence electronic structure of NiO

The X-ray and UV photoemission valence band spectra of NiO are interpreted using the molecular orbital theory for the NiO^10?₆ cluster and the sudden approximation (monopole selection rules). They exhibit the effects of crystal field splitting, multiplet splitting, electron shake-up (O 2pe^b_g→ Ni 3de^a_g). relaxation and Ni 3dO 2p hybridization. Shake-up satellite data indicate that the NiO optical absorption edge near 4 eV is associated with an O 2p → Ni 3d transition. The NiO valence electronic structure obtained in this work is compared with band structure models of Wilson and Mattheiss.     

Atomic many-body effects in the 4f XPS of the U<Superscript>5+</Superscript> and U<Superscript>4+</Superscript> cations: part II: consequences of orbital relaxation

Ab initio, fully relativistic four component theory was used to determine atomic many-body effects for the 4f X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) of U⁵⁺ and U⁴⁺ cations. Many-body effects were included through the use of configuration interaction (CI) wavefunctions, WF‘s, that allow the mixing of XPS allowed and XPS forbidden configurations. This work extends our earlier study of the U 4f XPS in that the orbitals for the final, ionic states of the cations are allowed to relax in the presence of the 4f core-hole. In the earlier work, orbitals optimized for the initial state were frozen and also used for the final, ionic states. While the main XPS features are similar in both cases, using relaxed orbitals for the ionic states introduces changes in the multiplet splitting and in the 4f_5/2 and 4f_7/2 spin–orbit splitting. The extent of configuration mixing for the U⁵⁺ and U⁴⁺ final state WF’s is characterized by the magnitude of the intensity lost by the main peaks to satellites. Overall, the use of relaxed orbitals improves the agreement between the theoretical XPS for the U⁴⁺ cation and the experimental measurements for UO₂.     

Cr掺杂金红石相TiO2(110)单晶薄膜的制备、表征及光催化活性

采用脉冲激光沉积术(PLD)同质外延生长了表面原子级平整的6%(原子比)Cr 掺杂的金红石相TiO₂(110)单晶薄膜, 采用扫描隧道显微镜(STM)、扫描隧道谱(STS)、X 射线光电子能谱(XPS)和紫外光电子能谱(UPS)对其进行了表征. 结果表明: Cr 掺杂对TiO₂(110)-(1×1)表面的形貌没有明显影响, 但是提高了掺杂薄膜在负偏压的导电性; Cr与晶格O键合而呈现+3价态, 由此在TiO₂的价带顶上方~0.4 eV处引入杂质能级. 紫外-可见光吸收谱显示薄膜的光吸收能力被扩展到~650 nm, 处于可见光范围. 借助STM以单个甲醇分子的光解反应检测了薄膜的光催化活性. 仅观察到紫外光照射下甲醇分子的脱氢反应, 在可见光照射下(λ>430 nm)甲醇分子没有发生反应, 表明单独的Cr掺杂可能不足以提高TiO₂在可见光下的催化活性.     

Synthesis and Kinetic Study on the Chromium(III) Complex [Cr(ASA)(en)2]Cl·2H2O

In order to explore the transfer mechanism of chromium(III) in mammals, a novel complex [Cr(ASA)(en)₂]Cl· 2H₂O, bis(ethylenediamine‐ κ ² N,N′)(4‐aminosalicylic acid‐ κ ² O,O′) chromium(III) monochloride dihydrate was synthesized (4‐aminosalicylic acid=H₂ASA, ethylenediamine=en). The crystal structure belongs to orthorhombic system with the space group P2₁2₁2₁ by means of X‐ray diffraction. The characteristic for transfer of Cr³⁺ from the compound to the low‐molecular‐mass chelator EDTA and the iron‐binding protein apoovotransferrin (apoOTf) was followed by UV‐visible (UV‐Vis) and fluorescence spectra in 0.01 mol·L^?1 Hepes at pH 7.4. The second order rate constants were calculated. Those spectra in conjunction were used to obtain more accurate information about the interaction of chromium complex with apoOTf. The experimental results indicate that Cr³⁺ can be transferred from the complex to apoOTf with the retention of the 4‐aminosalicylic acid acting as a synergistic anion.     

Resolving ruthenium: XPS studies of common ruthenium materials

X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) utilising monochromatic Al Kα radiation has been employed to study metallic ruthenium and the catalytically and technologically important ruthenium compounds RuO₂, RuCl₃, Ru(NO)(NO₃)₃ and Ru(AcAc)₃. The results improve on the accuracy of already published Ru(3d) binding energies, expand known Ru(3p) binding energies and also report spin‐orbit splitting for the core levels. For RuO₂, the difference between anhydrous and hydrated samples is explored, and the effect on curve fitting such spectra is discussed. Analysis of RuCl₃ has allowed, for the first time, the positive identification of Ru(OH)₃ by XPS. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

掺氮TiO2可见光降解有机污染物的比较研究

用溶胶-凝胶法制备了不同掺杂量的N/TiO₂复合纳米粉末, 采用X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描透镜(TEM)、紫外-可见反射吸收光谱(UV-vis)对催化剂进行了初步表征. 通过X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、元素分析仪(EA)测定其含氮量. XPS分析结果显示TiO₂晶格中的氧被氮原子取代, N/TiO₂表面存在Ti^3＋离子; 紫外-可见反射吸收光谱测得不同掺杂量的N/TiO₂的禁带宽度(E_g), 推测在TiO₂价带上方生成了由N诱导产生的中间带, 当氮、钛摩尔比为0.0880时N/TiO₂的E_g最小, 为2.50 eV. 在可见光下, 以酸性桃红(SRB)和无色小分子对氯苯酚(4-CP)作为可见光活性实验的探针反应, 确定了最佳掺杂比为n_N/n_Ti＝0.0880. 结果表明, 最佳掺杂量下N/TiO₂能显著降解SRB和4-CP, 通过测定ESR, IR, TOC, COD, 重点比较了TiO₂在掺杂N前后在降解SRB和4-CP时的差异, 包括氧化物种、矿化率、最终产物等, 证明在可见光下, N/TiO₂的降解机理为电子从独立的N 2p轨道激发到Ti 3d轨道, 产生羟基自由基等氧化物种, 达到降解有机物的目的.     

Improved accuracy of quantitative XPS analysis using predetermined spectrometer transmission functions with UNIFIT 2004

The accuracy of quantitative XPS analysis can be improved using predetermined transmission functions. Two different calibration methods are used for estimating the transmission function T(E) of a photoelectron spectrometer, applying a survey spectra approach (SSA) and a quantified peak‐area approach (QPA) to minimize the quantification error. For the SSA method, Au, Ag and Cu spectra measured with the Metrology Spectrometer II have been used. The new QPA method was built up from Au 4f, Au 4d, Au 4p_3/2, Ag 3d, Ag 3p_3/2, Cu 3p, Cu 2p_3/2, Ge 3p and Ge 2p_3/2 standard peak areas, applying adequate ionization cross‐sections and mean free path lengths for different pass energies (10 and 50 eV), lens modes (large area, large area XL, small area 150) and x‐ray sources (Al/Mg Twin and Al Mono). In the energy range 200–1500 eV a transmission function T(E) = a₀ + b₁E (where a₀, b₁ and b₂ are variable parameters) was found to give an appropriate approximation for eight tested spectrometer settings, implementing the largest changes in the case of pass energy variations. Determination and application of the transmission functions were integrated in the XPS analysis software (UNIFIT 2004) and tested by means of an Ni90Cr10 alloy. The results demonstrate the practicability of the SSA and QPA methods, giving decreased errors of <8% in comparison with errors up to 38% obtained using Wagner's sensitivity factors. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Next-nearest neighbor effects in the Mössbauer spectra of (Cr,Al) spinels

Fe²⁺T-site quadrupole splitting observed in the Mössbauer spectra of synthetic chromite-hercynite spinels (Fe(Cr_1?xAl_x)₂O₄, with x = 0 to 1.5) is systematically related to the substitution of octahedrally coordinated cations in the next-nearest neighbor coordination sphere. Conditions of synthesis include dry reagents contained in a stainless-steel crucible and enclosed in an evacuated silica-glass tube, held at 1250°C for up to 4 days. A simple singlet spectrum for FeCr₂O₄ changes with progressive Al substitution into a broadened doublet spectrum, with quadrupole splitting of 1.28 mm/sec and line half-width of 0.82 mm/sec, for FeCrAlO₄. Partial quadrupole splitting theory is used to calculate the quadrupole splittings for individual next-nearest neighbor configurations. Bulk quadrupole splitting is calculated relative to the statistical distribution of possible next-nearest neighbor configurations. Calculated quadrupole splittings are in good agreement with those obtained for unconstrained two-peak fits, at room temperature and at low and high temperature. Also, predicted spectral details are resolved in low temperature spectra. The local site distortion responsible for the quadrupole splitting appears to be associated with spatial accommodation of substituent Al³⁺ cations.     

Investigation of multiplet splitting of Fe 2p XPS spectra and bonding in iron compounds

Ferrous (Fe²⁺) and ferric (Fe³⁺) compounds were investigated by XPS to determine the usefulness of calculated multiplet peaks to fit high‐resolution iron 2p_3/2 spectra from high‐spin compounds. The multiplets were found to fit most spectra well, particularly when contributions attributed to surface peaks and shake‐up satellites were included. This information was useful for fitting of the complex Fe 2p_3/2 spectra for Fe₃O₄ where both Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ species are present. It was found that as the ionic bond character of the iron —ligand bond increased, the binding energy associated with either the ferrous or ferric 2p_3/2 photoelectron peak also increased. This was determined to be due to the decrease in shielding of the iron cation by the more increasingly electronegative ligands. It was also observed that the difference in energy between a high‐spin iron 2p_3/2 peak and its corresponding shake‐up satellite peak increased as the electronegativity of the ligand increased. The extrinsic loss spectra for ion oxides are also reported; these are as characteristic of each species as are the photoelectron peaks. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.