Binding energy of photoelectrons

An XPS spectrum consists of a plot of N(E)/E, the number of photoelectrons in a fixed small interval of binding energies, versus E. Peaks appear in the spectra at the binding energies of photoelectrons that are ejected from atoms in the solid. Since each photoemission process has a different probability, the peaks characteristic of a particular element can have significantly different intensities. 

The binding energy of photoelectron peaks defines not only the energy level within the atom from which it emerged but also the chemical environment (valence state) of the atom. Therefore, it is also called electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). The terms ESCA and XPS are interchangeable. 

Fermi level A reference point (taken as zero e V) with which binding energies of photoelectrons are measured. 

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), also called electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA), is described in section Bl.25,2.1. The most connnonly employed x-rays are the Mg Ka (1253.6 eV) and the A1 Ka (1486.6 eV) lines, which are produced from a standard x-ray tube. Peaks are seen in XPS spectra that correspond to the bound core-level electrons in the material. The intensity of each peak is proportional to the abundance of the emitting atoms in the near-surface region, while the precise binding energy of each peak depends on the chemical oxidation state and local enviromnent of the emitting atoms. The Perkin-Elmer XPS handbook contains sample spectra of each element and bindmg energies for certain compounds [58]. 

The transition-state spectroscopy experiment based on negative-ion photodetachment described above is well suited to the study of the F + FI2 reaction. The experiment is carried out tln-ough measurement of the photoelectron spectrum of the anion FH,. This species is calculated to be stable with a binding energy of... 

McFeely and co-workers used soft x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (SXPS) to measure the changes in binding energies of Si(2p) levels after slight exposure to fluorine atoms via dissociative chemisoriDtion of XeF2 [39]. Using synclirotron radiation at 130 eV as the source enabled extreme surface sensitivity. Since this level is split into a... 

An important property of the surface behaviour of oxides which contain transition metal ions having a number of possible valencies can be revealed by X-ray induced photoelectron spectroscopy. The energy spectrum of tlrese electrons give a direct measure of the binding energies of the valence electrons on the metal ions, from which the charge state can be deduced (Gunarsekaran et al., 1994). 

TEM observation and elemental analysis of the catalysts were performed by means of a transmission electron microscope (JEOL, JEM-201 OF) with energy dispersion spectrometer (EDS). The surface property of catalysts was analyzed by an X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (JEOL, JPS-90SX) using an A1 Ka radiation (1486.6 eV, 120 W). Carbon Is peak at binding energy of 284.6 eV due to adventitious carbon was used as an internal reference. Temperature programmed oxidation (TPO) with 5 vol.% 02/He was also performed on the catalyst after reaction, and the consumption of O2 was detected by thermal conductivity detector. The temperature was ramped at 10 K min to 1273 K. 

Figure 4.6. Photoemission and the Auger process. Left An incident X-ray photon is absorbed and a photoelectron emitted. Measurement of its kinetic energy allows one to calculate the binding energy of the photoelectron. The atom becomes an unstable ion with a hole in one of the core levels. Right The excited ion relaxes by filling the core hole...

Spin-orbit splittings as well as binding energies of a particular electron level increase with increasing atomic number. The intensity ratio of the peaks from a spin-orbit doublet is determined by the multiplicity of the corresponding levels, equal to 2j + 1. Hence, the intensity ratio of the j = and j = components of the Rh 3d doublet is 6 4 or 3 2. Thus, photoelectron peaks from core levels come in pairs -doublets - except for s levels, which normally give a single peak. 

X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy analysis of the samples was performed with a Surface Science Instruments spectrometer (SSI 100) with a resolution (FWHM Au 4f7/2) of 1.0 eV. The X-ray beam was a monochromatised AlKa radiation (1486.6 eV). A charge neutraliser (flood gun) was adjusted at an energy of 6 eV. As the Cls spectra of these compounds were very complex, the binding energies were referenced to the binding energy of Ols, considered experimentally to be at 531.8 eV [8). 

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