The chemical composition of the surface of a material mostly differs significantly from the bulk or average composition due to adsorption, oxidation and dissolution reactions. This typically occurs in situations such as catalysis, tribology and corrosion. On the other hand the functionalization of metal and metal oxide surfaces with adsorbed molecules is nowadays an attractive technique to form well-adherent molecular layers at the interface. This method might allow the production of tailor-made materials with controlled surface properties.
A technique considered essential for the understanding both the film growth and properties of nanosized films is x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It allows not only the identification of all elements present on the surfaces but also their speciation via the chemical shift of the elements belonging to the various functional groups. Quantitative analysis allows determination of the thickness and the composition of the overlayer and of the substrate. The rapid development of new spectrometers together with the possibility of applying new algorithms for data processing and quantification results in non-destructive in-depth profiles of thin films. Imaging – XPS can provide high lateral resolution chemical information. Some recent examples as e.g. self-assembled monolayers on gold, the oxidation of iron and nano-crystalline NiP alloys and the characterization of nano-biofilms will be presented.

• Legal notice:
  

  Copyright (c) Pielaszek Research, all rights reserved.
  The above materials, including auxiliary resources, are subject to Publisher's copyright and the Author(s) intellectual rights. Without limiting Author(s) rights under respective Copyright Transfer Agreement, no part of the above documents may be reproduced without the express written permission of Pielaszek Research, the Publisher. Express permission from the Author(s) is required to use the above materials for academic purposes, such as lectures or scientific presentations.
  In every case, proper references including Author(s) name(s) and URL of this webpage: https://science24.com/paper/12097 must be provided.