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An XPS study of the interatomic charge distribution in stainless steels
Author(s) -
Diplas S.,
Moslemzadeh N.,
Watts J. F.,
Beamson G.,
Tsakiropoulos P.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
surface and interface analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.52
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1096-9918
pISSN - 0142-2421
DOI - 10.1002/sia.3367
Subject(s) - auger , alloy , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , excited state , plasmon , materials science , binding energy , valence (chemistry) , spectral line , atomic physics , metal , kinetic energy , analytical chemistry (journal) , molecular physics , chemistry , metallurgy , nuclear magnetic resonance , physics , optoelectronics , organic chemistry , astronomy , quantum mechanics , chromatography
The secondary spectral feature of the Al Kα‐excited Ni 2p spectrum, positioned at a kinetic energy of approximately 6 eV lower than the main Ni 2p peak, is known as either the 2p satellite (in the case of inorganic materials) or a plasmon loss peak (in the case of metals). This feature was used to probe changes in the local electronic structure of Ni in stainless steels. The results were compared with a previous study on Auger parameter and core–core–valence (CCV) Auger lines acquired using Cu Kα radiation. The position of the secondary peak shifts to higher binding energy as the number of Fe atoms around Ni increases and this is consistent with the idea of charge transfer from Fe to Ni 3d irrespective of whether the peak is treated as a plasmon or satellite. Previous studies on Ni alloys showed that as the concentration of the more electropositive partners in the Ni alloy (such as Fe in a NiFe alloy) increased compared to Ni, the intensity of the Ni energy loss decreased. However, contrary to previous studies, in steels that we studied, the intensity of the secondary peak increases as the concentration of Fe (or even Cr) increases. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.