Elemental Contamination Analysis for TiO2 Nanoparticles via In Situ X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is a unique quantitative spectroscopic photoluminescence technique that is used to measure elements within a surface sample and what those elements are bound to. Catalytic surface reactions are vital to conversion of natural gas to products such as ammonia, ethylene, propylene, methanol, hydrogen gas, and synfuel. TiO2, titanium oxide, has been found to be a useful alternative support system for heterogeneous catalysis and has been found to improve the performance of catalysts. In order to maximize the use of the support surfaces, it’s necessary to understand the composition of the surface for a better understanding of how the reaction takes place on it. However, such analysis is hindered through various levels of contamination, making analysis of decontamination methods relevant. This experiment utilizes XPS to verify the elemental composition of TiO2 sample under varying temperatures (upwards of 600 C) and oxygen exposure inside the chamber to verify various cleaning protocols in surface metal investigations.