Laboratory-based in situ and operando tricolor x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 40845114.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.adw6673 and PMC identifier 12372890.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Innovative approaches to study buried interfaces and heterogeneous interactions under reaction conditions are crucial for advancing energy and catalytic materials. Our near-ambient pressure x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP-XPS) setup is equipped with a tricolor x-ray source, with Al Kα, Ag Lα, and Cr Kα excitation energies, enabling information depth-selective operando and in situ analysis of solid-liquid, solid-gas, and solid-solid interfaces. We present three case studies to demonstrate the systems' capabilities. First, we compare experimental depth profiling of a LaMnO<sub>3</sub>/LaFeO<sub>3</sub>/Nb:SrTiO<sub>3</sub> multilayer with SESSA (simulation of electron spectra for surface analysis) simulations. Second, we examine the oxidation and reduction of Fe<i><sub>x</sub></i>O<i><sub>y</sub></i> as a function of environment and temperature. Last, the Pt/liquid electrolyte interface is examined, revealing surface oxidation in the absence of bulk oxidation. As our results confirm, the unique combination of a NAP-XPS with the tricolor x-ray source empowers laboratory-based in situ and operando XPS characterization of advanced materials under reaction conditions in a wide range of applications.