The electronic structures of the core and valence ion states of metal oxides

SCF-Xα SW MO calculations on metal core ion hole states and X-ray emission (XES) and X-ray photoelectron (XPS) transition states of the non- transition metal oxidic clusters MgO₆^10?, AlO₄^5? and SiO₄^4? show relative valence orbital energies to be virtually unaffected by the creation of valence orbital or metal core orbital holes. Accordingly, valence orbital energies derived from XPS and XES are directly comparable and may be correlated to generate empirical MO diagrams. In addition, charge relaxation about the metal core hole is small and valence orbital compositions are little changed in the core hole state. On the other hand, for the transition metal oxidic clusters FeO₆^10?, CrO₆^9? and TiO₆^8? relative valence orbital energies are sharply changed by a metal core orbital or crystal field orbital hole, the energy lowering of an orbital increasing with its degree of metal character. Consequently O 2p nonbonding → M 3d-O 2p antibonding (crystal field) energies are reduced, while M 3d bonding → O 2p nonbonding and M 3d-O 2p antibonding → M 4s,p-O 2p antibonding (conduction band) energies increase. Charge relaxation about the core hole is virtually complete in the transition metal oxides and substantial changes are observed in the composition of those valence orbitals with appreciable M 3d character. This change in composition is greater for e _g than for t_2g orbitals and increases as the separation of the e_g crystal field (CF) orbitals and the O 2p nonbonding orbital set decreases. Based on the hole state MO diagrams the higher energy XPS satellite in TiO₂ (at about 13 eV) is assigned to a valence → conduction band transition. The UV PES satellites at 8.2 eV in Cr₂O₃ and 9.3 eV in FeO are tentatively assigned to similar transitions to conduction band orbitals, although the closeness in energy of the crystal field and O 2p nonbonding orbitals in the valence orbital hole state prevents a definite assignment on energy criteria alone. However the calculations do clearly show that charge transfer transitions of the e_g bonding → e_g crystal field orbital type would generally occur at lower energy than is consistent with observed satellite structure.A core electron hole has little effect upon relative orbital energies and is only slightly neutralized by valence electron redistribution for MgO and SiO₂. For the transition metal oxides a core hole lowers the relative energies of M3d containing orbitals by large amounts, reducing O → M charge transfer and increasing M 3d crystal field → conduction band energies. Large and sometimes overcomplete neutralization of the core hole is observed, increasing from CrO₆^9? to FeO₆^10? to TiO₆^8?. as the O → M charge transfer energy declines.High energy XPS satellites in TiO₂ may be assigned to O 2p nonbonding → conduction band transitions while lower energy UV PES satellites in FeO and Cr₂O₃ arise from crystal field or O 2p nonbonding → conduction band excitations. Our “shake-up” assignment for FeO₆^10?, CrO₆^9? and TiO₆^8? are less than definitive because no procedure has yet been developed to calculate “shake-up” intensities resulting from transitions of the type described. However the results do allow a critical evaluation of earlier qualitative predictions of core and valence hole effects. First, we find that the comparison of hole or valence state ionic systems with equilibrium distance systems of higher nuclear and/or cation charge (e.g. the comparison of the FeO₆^10? Fe 2p core hole state to Co₃O₄) is dangerous. For example, larger MO distances in the ion states substantially reduce crystal field splittings. Second, core and CF orbital holes sharply reduce O → M charge transfer energies, giving 2e_g → 3e_g energy separations which are generally too small to match observed satellite energies. Third, highest occupied CF-conduction band energies are only about 4–5 eV in the ground states, but increase to about 7–11 eV in the core and valence hole states of the transition metal oxides studied. The energetic arguments presented thus support the idea of CF and/or O 2p nonbonding → conduction band excitations as assignments for “shake-up” satellites, at least in oxides of metals near the beginning of the transition series.     

Possible anionic clusters and mixed valence effects in transition metal chalcogenides and oxides

The formation of anionic clusters similar to O₂^2?, S₂^2?, Se₂^2? but with higher internuclear distances can be responsible for the more specific forms of interaction required to explain the properties of UO₂₊x, and many transition metal chalcogenides such as Fe_1?xS, Ni_1?x,S etc. Resonant structures can lead to clusters of this type even in stoichiometric chalcogenides with NiAs-type structure due to the $\text{d}\text{p}$ mixing, and low energy differences between metal d- and chalcogen p-bands. The mixed valence effects involved are discussed qualitatively.     

ESR in X-irradiated As2O3 glass

X-irradiation of glassy As₂O₃ at 77K or 300K produces an unusually large density (～5×10¹⁸ cm^-3) of paramagnetic centers which are stable at 300K. The average spin-Hamiltonian parameters (g = 1.998, g_⊥ = 1.984, A₆ = 243G, A_⊥ = 114G) indicate that these centers are analogous to those previously observed in As₂Se₃ and As₂S₃ glasses and that they consist of unpaired electrons localized on a non-bonding 4p orbital of an As atom. Unlike the results obtained for As₂Se₃ and As₂S₃, the concommitant holes in As₂O₃ are trapped on Fe²⁺ impurity sites which become Fe³⁺ and not on non-bonding oxygen p orbitals. The radiation induced ESR is also accompanied by a stable optical absorption tail which lies within the band gap and increases exponentially with energy. This absorption can be partially bleached with the application of sub-band-gap light.     

Electron energy loss spectroscopy and ultraviolet photoemission of TmSe

Intraionic Tm²⁺ and Tm³⁺ ? → d and p → d charge transfer transitions are identified in the energy loss spectra of 100eV electrons of TmSe by comparison with X-ray photoemission data. In contrast the ultraviolet photoemission spectra with photon energies up to 21.2 eV do not show any evidence for the intermediate valence character of TmSe due to matrix element effects.     

Chemisorption of O2 ON Ag(110): A molecular orbital cluster study

Self-Consistent-Field-Xα-Scattered-Wave molecular orbital calculations have been performed for cluster models of the Ag(110) surface interacting with an oxygen molecule. Twelve possible adsorption geometries have been considered. Comparison of the calculated positions of O₂-derived energy levels with ultraviolet and X-ray photoemission data has allowed most of these to be eliminated. The best candidates for the adsorption geometry both involve the long-bridge site, and have the O₂ moiety parallel to the surface and either parallel to the 11?0 grooves (LB(∥s, ∥ g)) or perpendicular to the gooves (LB(∥ s, ⊥ g)). Some evidence in favor of the latter is outlined, although a definitive structure determination must await further experimental and theoretical work. For both of these geometries significant covalent interactions have been identified involving mixing between O₂ orbitals and Ag sp and d functions. It is suggested that the π_u-d and pσ_g-d interactions are responsible for the observed reduction of the O-O stretching frequency relative to the usual values for peroxides.     

Thermal decomposition and electrical conductivity of M(OH)3 and MOOH (M=Y, lanthanide)

The thermal decomposition of M(OH)₃ (M=Y, La, Nd, Sm, Gd) with the Y(OH)₃ structure was examined by the TG and DTA methods. Y(OH)₃, Nd(OH)₃, and Sm(OH)₃ decomposed to MOOH and then to M₂O₃. The decomposition of La(OH)₃ and Gd(OH)₃ occurred via the following schemes: La(OH)₃→LaOOH→La₂O₃·1/2H₂O→La₂O₃, and Gd(OH)₃→Gd₂O₃·3/2H₂O→GdOOH→Gd₂O₃. The highest conductivity of 5.9×1o^?9Scm^?1 at 250°C was found in Gd(OH)₃ and that of 8.9×10^?7 S cm^?1 400°C in GdOOH. The continuous-wave ¹H NMR absorption spectrum of LaOOH at room temperature exhibited no doublet line shape. This shows that protons are magnetically isolated from each other, and very little H₂O and H₃O⁺ can exist.     

Molecular orbital analysis of the CO32− ion by studies of the anisotropic X-ray emission of its components

The K X-ray emission spectra of carbon and oxygen in calcite single crystals CaCO₃ were measured. Owing to the polarization of the radiation the shape of both spectra shows a pronounced angular dependence, which makes it possible to separate the contributions of the π- and σ-valence electrons of the CO₃^2? ion to the X-ray spectra, and to determine the sequence and the binding energies of the valence orbitals.     

Isospin violation in τ → 3πντ

Isospin violating signals in the τ^? → (3π)^?ν_τ decay mode are discussed. For the τ^? → π^?π^?π⁺ν_τ decay mode, isospin violation arises from the vector current contribution in the τ^? → ωπ^?ν_τ decay with the subsequent isospin violating ω decay into π⁺π^?. We demonstrate that such effects may be observed in presently available data through the measurement of the interference effects of these vector current contributions with the dominating axial vector current,i. e. through a measurement of the structure functionsW _F, WG, WH andW _I. In the case of the τ^? → π⁰π⁰π^?ν_τ decay mode, a vector current contribution is generated by ηπ⁰ mixing in the decay chain τ^? → η?^?ν_τ → π⁰π⁰π^?ν_τ. We find that this effect is rather small, the magnitude of the associated interference terms being too low for present statistics.     

K→ππγ in chiral lagrangian approach

TheK ⁺ → π⁺ π⁰ γ andK _L,S ⁰ → π⁺ → π^? γ are reexamined in a simple chiral Lagrangian scheme. The inner bremsstrahlung part of the amplitude is well explained within a chiral Lagrangian approach supplemented by the 1/N expansion, while the direct emission term is generated by the effective Wess-Zumino term. The calculation of these terms does not affect the present knowledge of CP violating parameter inK _L,S ⁰ → π⁺ → π^? γ and also there is no implication on theK _L,S ⁰ → π⁺ → π^± π^° γ asymmetry parameter.     

The electronic structure and chemical bonding in rare earth chalcogenides according to the XαSW method—II: NdS,EuS and ErS

Electronic structure calculations for (NdS₆)^10? (EuS₆)^10?, (ErS₆)^10? clusters in NdS, EuS and ErS have been performed with the XαSW method. The results agree well with the photoemission spectra. Analyses of charge distributions reveal that in spite of the localized nature of the 4f-derived MO's, the 3pS-states contain admixtures of both 4f- and 5d-states, most noticeably for NdS. The decrease of covalency in the direction NdS→EuS→ErS corresponds to the changes of melting temperatures, and dissociation energies for the crystal and gaseous RE monosulfides.     

Carbon K-shell excitation spectra of linear and branched alkanes

The electron energy loss spectra of ethane, propane, n-butane, n-pentane, n-hexane, isobutane, isopentane and neopentane in the region of carbon K-shell excitation have been recorded under dipole-dominated conditions (2.8 ke V impact energy, small angle). The spectra are dominated by transitions to unoccupied valence π¹(CH₂, CH₃) and σ¹(C-C) levels. Additional weak features are assigned to Rydberg transitions. The position of the main continuum feature in each spectrum is consistent with the predictions of an empirical relationship with bond length. Systematic variations of spectral intensities are observed which support our assignments. The dominant feature in the K-shell spectrum of ethane, which was previously assigned to C 1s → 3p Rydberg transitions, is reassigned to excitation to a 3p/π¹(CH₃ ), mixed Rydberg/valence orbital (of antibonding σ-¹(C-H) character), in comparison to the other alkane spectra. An improved calibration value of 290.74(5) eV for the energy of the C 1s → π¹ transition in CO₂ is also obtained.     

Photovoltaic structures using AgSb(S x Se1−x )2 thin films as absorber

Photovoltaic structures were prepared using AgSb(S _x Se_1?x )₂ as absorber and CdS as window layer at various conditions via a hybrid technique of chemical bath deposition and thermal evaporation followed by heat treatments. Silver antimony sulfo selenide thin films [AgSb(S _x Se_1?x )₂] were prepared by heating multilayers of sequentially deposited Sb₂S₃/Ag dipped in Na₂SeSO₃ solution, glass/Sb₂S₃/Ag/Se. For this, Sb₂S₃ thin films were deposited from a chemical bath containing SbCl₃ and Na₂S₂O₃. Then, Ag thin films were thermally evaporated on glass/Sb₂S₃, followed by selenization by dipping in an acidic solution of Na₂SeSO₃. The duration of dipping was varied as 3, 4 and 5 h. Two different heat treatments, one at 350 °C for 20 min in vacuum followed by a post-heat treatment at 325 °C for 2 h in Ar, and the other at 350 °C for 1 h in Ar, were applied to the multilayers of different configurations. X-ray diffraction results showed the formation of AgSb(S _x Se_1?x )₂ thin films as the primary phase and AgSb(S,Se)₂ and Sb₂S₃ as secondary phases. Morphology and elemental detection were done by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies showed the depthwise composition of the films. Optical properties were determined by UV–vis–IR transmittance and reflection spectral analysis. AgSb(S _x Se_1?x )₂ formed at different conditions was incorporated in PV structures glass/FTO/CdS/AgSb(S _x Se_1?x )₂/C/Ag. Chemically deposited post-annealed CdS thin films of various thicknesses were used as window layer. J–V characteristics of the cells were measured under dark and AM1.5 illumination. Analysis of the J–V characteristics resulted in the best solar cell parameters of V _oc = 520 mV, J _sc = 9.70 mA cm^?2, FF = 0.50 and η = 2.7 %.     

Valence band photoemission spectroscopy of a ternary layered semiconductor: ZnIn2S4

UV photoemission spectroscopy (UPS) experiments have been carried out on the layer compound ZnIn₂S₄ employing several different photon energies in the range $\text{h}\text{?}{}_{\mathrm{\omega }}\text{= 9.5?21.2}\text{eV}$. The energy distribution curves (EDC's) exhibit four valence band density of states structures besides the Zn 3d peak. These five peaks appear 0.90 eV, 1.6 eV, 4.3 eV, 5.8 eV and 8.7 eV respectively below the top of the valence band, E_v. The atomic orbital character of the shallowest peak A appears different from that of the three deeper valence band peaks B, C and D and this is discussed in terms of the more or less pronounced ionic character of the intralayer chemical bonds. These results demonstrate that an overall understanding of the electronic states in complex structures can be achieved by an approach based on photoemission experiments and chemical bonding considerations which has been widely used in the past to study simple binary layer compounds.     

Strong polarization dependence and selenium lone-pairs in the photoemission spectra of Sb2Se3

The photoemission energy distribution curves (EDC's) of crystalline and amorphous Sb₂Se₃ were measured in the photon energy range hv=7 to 20 eV using polarized radiation from a synchroton storage ring. The EDC's show that the six electrons per Sb₂Se₃ molecule, attributed primarily to the selenium p-pairs, are clearly separated from the remaining part of the valence band of crystalline Sb₂Se₃. The optical transitions from these states occur with matrix elements strongly dependent on the orientation of the electrical vector of the polarized radiation as a result of crystal field effects. Model densities of states are constructed for both crystalline and amorphous Sb₂Se₃.     

Electronic structure analysis of Mn- and Fe-codoped In2O3 by photoemission yield measurements

The valence band electronic structures of Mn- and/or Fe-doped In₂O₃, i.e., In₂O₃:Mn, In₂O₃:Fe, and In₂O₃:(Mn, Fe), are investigated by photoemission yield measurements. Significant changes are observed in the threshold energy of photoemission, depending on the doped magnetic ions, which indicates that an additional occupied band appears above the top of the valence band of In₂O₃ owing to doping with Mn and/or Fe ions. It is confirmed that the order of the threshold energies of photoemission, E_PET, is E_PET(In₂O₃:Mn)<E_PET(In₂O₃:(Mn, Fe))<E_PET(In₂O₃:Fe)<E_PET(In₂O₃). To gain a better understanding of these results, first-principles molecular orbital calculations are also carried out, which successfully explain the observed changes in the photoemission threshold energies.     

Studies of molecular oxygen adsorbed on Cu surfaces

Molecular oxygen adsorbed on (110) and polycrystalline Cu surfaces has been investigated by UPS, XPS, AES, HREELS and LEED. Molecularly adsorbed O₂ on the (110) surface shows the characteristic three-peak He II spectrum due to π_g, π_u and σ_g orbitals, accompanied by an O-O stretching frequency at 660 cm⁻¹. On the polycrystalline Cu surface, adsorbed O₂ shows the three peak He II spectra with a considerably smaller separation between the π_u and σ_g band and two O-O stretching bands at 610 and 880 cm⁻¹. O₂ adsorbed on the Cu(110) surface gives rise to a (1 × 1) LEED pattern and characteristic K π¹π¹ transition in the Auger spectrum.     

Observation of resonance recombination lines in electron excited auger spectra of Gd

Combined measurements of electron excited N_4,5 Auger spectra and photoelectron emission on clean and oxidized Gd lead to a distinction between Auger lines originating from 4d → continuum and 4d → 4? resonance excitations. Several Auger structures are identified as due to the direct recombination of 4d⁹4?⁸ states with the 4f and valence electrons. The shape of the most prominent Auger line for oxidized Gd agrees perfectly with the Fano profile of the 4? photoemission intensity.