Surface chemistry studied by in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Time-dependent X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is used to study the kinetics and dynamics of simple surface reactions. Combining high-resolution core level spectroscopy with a supersonic molecular beam in one experimental setup, processes such as the dissociative adsorption of methane on both Pt(111) and Ni(111), the coadsorption of water and CO on Pt(111), and the oxidation of CO on Pt(111) have been studied. In the case of methane, the observed vibrational fine structure in C 1s spectra is used to identify the adsorbed species (CH₃) and further thermal dehydrogenation steps. While simple dehydrogenation via CH is observed on Pt(111), a C–C coupling reaction to acetylene is found on Ni(111). In the coadsorbate phase, CO is found to be able to replace predosed water from the bilayer into multilayers. Water, in turn, leads to a site change of the CO molecules, which are preferably adsorbed at bridge sites in the presence of water, as opposed to on-top adsorption on clean Pt(111). For the truly bimolecular surface reaction, the CO oxidation on Pt(111), the ability of the molecular beam to create a relatively high CO pressure was found essential to study the kinetics of the basic step (CO+OCO₂) without influence of adsorption or diffusion rate. An activation energy of 0.53 eV and a preexponential factor of 5×10⁶ s^-1 are found. PACS 68.43.Mn; 79.60.Dp; 82.20.Pm     

Electronic structure of carbyne studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray emission spectroscopy

The electronic structure of amorphous carbyne has been investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray emission spectroscopy. Carbyne band structure has been calculated semiempirically and the experimental data have been interpreted on the basis of the calculation results. The valence band width was found to be about 20 eV which is the same as that in all other condensed carbon structures. The fine satellite structure near the 1s line of carbon has been studied. It is shown that the energy bands in carbyne are arranged in a mirror-like way relative to the Fermi level. The real carbyne structure is susceptible to conformations which affect primarily the π-subband structure.     

Electronic structure of black phosphorus studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The X-ray photoelectron spectrum of black phosphorus has been measured for the first time. The features in the valence band spectrum are found to be in good agreement with those of the valence state density recently calculated on the basis of a pseudopotential method. The 2s and 2p core spectrum of black phosphorus is also discussed.     

Oxidation of nickel studied by UV and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The nature of argon-ion bombarded nickel surfaces (polycrystalline, and (111), (110) and (100) single crystals) and their subsequent interaction with oxygen at ordinary temperatures have been studied using X-ray and UV photoelectron spectroscopy, including angular variation measurements and the determination of work function changes, in combination in the same apparatus. Variations between the HeI spectra of the four clean substrates were taken to confirm the presence of substantial order within the depth sampled by UPS. The four surfaces exhibited similar but not identical behaviour during oxidation, resembling that reported by other workers from studies of both annealed single crystals and evaporated polycrystalline films. The initial process was deduced to be essentially dissociative chemisorption: no evidence supporting a previous suggestion of associative adsorption at low coverages was found. Oxygen commenced to penetrate below the surface of all samples before oxygen equivalent to a monolayer had been taken up (~10 L exposure) and further substantial uptake followed resulting in the formation of a stable film (~18 Å) of nickel oxide by ~100 L exposure. This oxide layer was not stoichiometric nickel(II) oxide: it was characterized by the presence of two distinct O 1s signals, the relative intensities of which depended on the crystallographic nature of the surface. It is tentatively suggested that the oxygen signal with the higher BE be associated with Ni^III. Comparison of the X-ray and UV spectra suggests that the oxide film is very non-uniform in thickness, some Ni metal remaining very close to the surface.     

Valence bands of aluminium noble-metal alloys studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The valence bands of aluminium noble-metal alloys are studied by XPS using Al Kα-radiation. The alloys were prepared by evaporation followed by interdiffusion of the components under ultra-high vacuum within the analyzer chamber of the spectrometer. In the absence of surface contamination the alloys exhibit more intense spectra, with sharper features, than those observed for previously studied bulk samples.     

Surface sensitivity of Auger-electron spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

A convenient measure of surface sensitivity in Auger-electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is the mean escape depth (MED). If the effects of elastic-electron scattering are neglected, the MED is equal to the electron inelastic mean free path (IMFP) multiplied by the cosine of the emission angle with respect to the surface normal, and depends on the material and electron energy of interest. An overview is given here of recent calculations of IMFPs for 50–2000 eV electrons in a range of materials. This work has led to the development of a predictive formula based on the Bethe equation for inelastic electron scattering in matter from which IMFPs can be determined. Estimates show, however, that elastic-electron scattering can significantly modify the MED. Thus, for AES, the MED will be reduced by up to about 35%. For XPS, however, the MED can be changed by up to ±30% for common measurement conditions although it can be much larger (by up to a factor of 2) for near-grazing emission angles. Ratios of MED values, calculated with elastic scattering considered and neglected for XPS from the 3s, 3p, and 3d subshells of silver with Mg Kα X-rays are approximately constant (to about 10%) over a range of emission angles that varies from 40° to 60° depending on the subshell and the angle of X-ray incidence. Recommendations are given on how to determine the optimum range of emission angles for satisfactory analysis of angle-resolved XPS (ARXPS) data. Definitions are included of three terms often used for describing surface sensitivity (IMFP, MED, and effective attenuation length (EAL)), and examples are given of the varying magnitudes of these quantities for different analytical conditions.     

Surface and core hole effects in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

In XPS analysis, two effects, which significantly reduce the measured peak intensity, are usually neglected: the core hole left behind in an XPS process which causes “intrinsic” excitations and excitations as the photoelectron pass through the surface region. We have calculated these effects quantitatively for various energies, geometries, and materials. Instead of considering the two effects separately, we introduce a new parameter, namely the correction parameter for XPS or CP_XPS, which takes into account both effects. We define this CP_XPS as the change in probability for emission of a photoelectron caused by the presence of the surface and the core hole in comparison with the situation where the core hole is neglected and the electron travels the same distance in an infinite medium. The calculations are performed within the dielectric response theory by means of the QUEELS–XPS software determining the energy-differential inelastic electron scattering cross-sections for X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) including surface and core hole effects. This study has been carried out for electron energies between 300 eV and 3400 eV, for angles to the surface normal between 0° and 60° and for various materials. We find that the absolute effect is a reduction by 35–45% in peak intensities but that the variation in CP_XPS with material, angle and energy are < ± 10% for emission angle ≤ 60° and photoelectron energy ≤ 1500 eV. This implies that when XPS analysis is done using relative intensities, the combined effect of the surface and of the core hole is typically less than ≈ ± 10% for geometries and energies normally used in XPS. In practice, it is however difficult to determine the bare peak intensity without the intrinsic electrons because the two overlap in energy.     

低速高电荷态重离子辐照的GaN晶体表面X射线光电子能谱研究

利用低速高电荷态Xeq+和Pbq+离子对在蓝宝石衬底上生长的GaN晶体膜样品进行辐照,并利用X射线光电子能谱(XPS)对样品表面化学组成和元素化合态进行了分析.结果表明,高电荷态离子对样品表面有显著的刻蚀作用;经高电荷态离子辐照的GaN样品表面氮元素贫乏而镓元素富集;随着入射离子剂量和所携带电荷数的增大,Ga—Ga键相对含量增大;辐照后,GaN样品中Ga—Ga键对应的Ga3d5/2电子的束缚能偏小,晶格损伤使内层轨道电子束缚能向低端方向偏移.     

X射线光电子能谱

X射线光电子能谱（X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy，XPS）技术也被称作用于化学分析的电子能谱（electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis，ESCA）．XPS属表面分析法，它可以给出固体样品表面所含的元素种类、化学组成以及有关的电子结构重要信息，在各种固体材料的基础研究和实际应用中起着重要的作用．文章简要介绍了XPS仪器的工作原理和分析方法，并给出了XPS在科学研究工作中的应用实例．     

X射线光电子能谱

X射线光电子能谱（X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XPS）技术也被称作用于化学分析的电子能谱（electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis,ESCA）.XPS属表面分析法,它可以给出固体样品表面所含的元素种类、化学组成以及有关的电子结构重要信息,在各种固体材料的基础研究和实际应用中起着重要的作用.文章简要介绍了XPS仪器的工作原理和分析方法,并给出了XPS在科学研究工作中的应用实例.     

Surface analysis of Ni/Al alloys by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The surface composition of various pretreated NiAl alloys was investigated by the XPS method. Surface enrichment of Al is observed in freshly polished samples. Storage in air (or H₂O), especially at elevated temperatures, greatly increases the thickness of the aluminium oxide (or aluminium hydroxide) layer and reduces the nickel intensities correspondingly. Treatment with NaOH dissolves aluminium out of the surface, which is thus left with a high nickel content. The changes in this surface caused by exposure in air and H₂O are observed.     

沉积态铀薄膜表面氧化的X射线光电子能谱

含铀(U)薄膜在激光惯性约束聚变的实验研究中有重要的用途.研究其在不同气氛下的氧化性能可以为微靶制备、储存及物理实验提供关键的实验数据.通过超高真空磁控溅射技术制备了纯U薄膜及金-铀(Au-U)复合平面膜,将其在大气、高纯氩(Ar)气及超高真空度环境中暴露一段时间后,利用X射线光电子能谱仪结合Ar~+束深度剖析技术考察U层中氧(O)元素分布及价态,分析氧化产物及机理.结果显示,初始状态的U薄膜中未检测到O的存在.Au-U复合薄膜中的微观缺陷减弱了Au防护层的屏蔽效果,使其在3周左右时间内严重氧化,产物为U表面致密的氧化膜及缺陷周围的点状腐蚀物,主要成分均为二氧化铀(UO_2).在高纯Ar气中纯U薄膜仅暴露6 h后表面即被严重氧化,生成厚度不均匀的UO_2.在超高真空度环境下保存12 h后,纯U薄膜表面也发生明显氧化,生成厚度不足1 nm的UO_2.Ar~+束对铀氧化物的刻蚀会因择优溅射效应而使UO_2被还原成非化学计量的UO_(2-x),但这种效应受O含量的影响.     

On the charge distribution in manganese borides studied by X-ray photoelectron and emission spectroscopy

For the borides of the Mn-B system the values of binding energies of Mn 3p, $\text{2p}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>3</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}$, $\text{2}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}$ and B1s core levels were measured on an electron spectrometer. Depending on boride composition the variation of inner level energies is very similar, showing a change of sign in the region of the monoboride phase. The same variation has been observed for some characteristics of X-ray emission spectra from these borides. An attempt is made to understand which of the chemical bonding factors are chiefly responsible for a regular concentration dependence of the X-ray and photoelectron spectra.     

Surface segregation in yttria-stabilized zirconia by means of angle resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Surface segregation of cations in undoped and titanium-doped yttria-stabilized zirconia was studied in air in the temperature range from 800 to 1400°C. Surface composition and distribution of the elements across the surface layer was examined using angle resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The annealing procedure induced a silicon-rich surface layer of low zirconium concentration. The yttrium concentration only slightly increased at the surface. Enrichment factor of titanium in the titanium-doped yttria-stabilized zirconia was found to be higher than that of yttrium. No significant correlation between segregation of other cations was found.     

Surface characterization of imidazolium ionic liquids by high-resolution Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The surface composition of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM] [PF₆]) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide ([BMIM] [DCA]) are studied by high-resolution Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. Although [BMIM] [PF₆] is almost stoichiometric up to the topmost molecular layer, considerable deviation from the theoretical stoichiometry is observed for [BMIM] [DCA] in a surface layer of ～1.5 nm thickness. Nitrogen is almost completely depleted in this layer while carbon is enhanced. In addition, there are oxygen impurities of ～3 × 10¹⁴ atoms/cm² in this surface layer. With the help of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements it is concluded that the surface of [BMIM] [DCA] is covered by ～1.7 × 10¹⁴ molecules/cm² of esters and/or carboxylic acids. These contaminant molecules have a preferred orientation, i.e. the carbonyl groups are on the surface of [BMIM] [DCA] and the alkyl chains are pointing towards vacuum. The origin of the contamination layer could be the surface segregation of bulk impurities.     

Deconvolution in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Published Mg and Al Kα X-ray lineshapes have been used to study the removal of the effects of X-ray broadening in XPS spectra by deconvolution. These results are compared with spectra obtained for the same specimens in the same instrument using a monochromatic X-ray source. The use of deconvolution to remove analyzer broadening from spectra has also been examined, and it has been verified experimentally that the maximum improvement in the full width at half-maximum of a peak that can be achieved is 30%. Deconvolution has also been examined as a means to remove backgrounds from XPS spectra over wide energy ranges, up to 100 eV.     

Bonds and Fermi surfaces studied by photoelectron spectroscopy

Photoelectron spectroscopy with synchrotron radiation employing high energy and angular resolutions is a very efficient tool for experimental investigations of the electronic structure of solids and their surfaces. In addition to standard band-mapping applications, photoemission intensity and line-shape analyses provide valuable information about wave functions, bonds and interactions of a many-electron system. In this report we choose covalent semiconductor surfaces as well as metallic clean and nanostructured surfaces of layered materials to serve as model systems for assessing the spatial origin of photoelectrons and the three-dimensional shape of Fermi surfaces. Received: 11 July 2001 / Accepted: 23 July 2001 / Published online: 3 April 2002     

Ion bombardment-induced decomposition of Li and Ba sulfates and carbonates studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Radiation damage to the surfaces of lithium and barium sulfates and carbonates under 4 ke V Ar⁺ bombardment has been investigated by X-ray photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Damage is readily observed at a dose of 1 × 10¹⁶ ions cm^?2 with saturation occurring over the range 2–8 × 10¹⁷ ions cm^?2. Both valence and core level XPS spectra indicate that, at the saturation dose, the basic sulfate and carbonate structures remain along with decomposition products. Both sulfur and carbon are preferentially lost from all four compounds and oxygen is preferentially lost from both Li compounds but not from the Ba compounds as a result of bombardment. The major decomposition products are the metal oxides with smaller quantities of carbides, sulfides, and SO_n^x?(n = 3,2,1) species.     

Electronic structure of amorphous Nb1-x Si x films studied by X-ray emission and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

We present valence band spectra of the amorphous system Nb_1–x Si _x (0.2x0.8), of bcc-Nb and of a-Si obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, Al K) and X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES, Si K-emission bands). The samples were prepared as thin films by sputtering. The origin of all prominent spectral features was identified and consistently correlated to Si 3s-, Si 3p-and Nb 4d-derived states. The Nb4d-Si3p coupling is stable in binding energy over a wide concentration range. There is strong experimental evidence that the short range order changes considerably within the concentration interval 0.4x0.7, whereas the partial density of states of the Si 3p-electrons is clearly altered in the small concentration range 0.50x0.57.