Advances in instrumentation mean that materials scientists, nano-technologists and engineers working with materials for energy and environment related projects now have access to the unique capabilities of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Chemical engineering of thin film and interfaces in these areas-of-interest often requires characterization on the nanometer scale. XPS is ideally suited for this task, enabling development of a wide range of devices related to renewable and alternative energy technologies.
XPS has a fast sample turnaround, facilitated by its standard-less quantification and the need for little or no sample preparation. It is a technique that excels at providing full chemical characterization for a wide range of solid materials. Typical XPS analyses include:
• Elemental and chemical surface characterization of thin films and ultrathin films prevalent in design of fuels cells and battery technology
• Elemental/chemical information as a function of depth for solar cell and fuel cell devices
• Imaging of interfaces in solar/fuel cell devices (effectiveness of diffusion barriers can be evaluated)
• Chemical characterization of next generation polymer-based devices (conducting or non-conducting) for OLEDs, solar cells and polymer electronics
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