SEXAFS Surface-Sensitive Extended X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure

7 SEXAFS (Surface-Sensitive Extended X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure) 

One of the basic physical inputs to the SEXAFS analysis is a set of phase shifts for electron scattering off surface atoms. The uncertainty in these is one of the limiting factors in the accuracy of the method. However, in some cases comparison with experimental EXAFS data from bulk material can help in circumventing the phase shift uncertainty essentially the bulk and surface phase shifts are assumed equal and these then divide out in the ratio of the surface to bulk data. 

A drawback of SEXAFS is that synchrotron radiation is needed as a source of X-rays. 

---