Vanadium

Analysis of Vanadium by XPS is typically performed on the V 2p region, which overlaps very slightly with the O 1s region, slightly complicating analysis (Figure 1), though provided an extended region is acquired, collecting both V 2p peaks and the O 1s region then background application and peak fitting may be fairly trivial. The doublet separation varies with chemical state, and is around 7.5 eV

Figure 1: XPS spectra of V2O5(1)

As with most first row TMs, the 2p1/2 peak exhibits a larger FWHM than that of the 2p3/2 due to Coster-Kronig processes.

Some common binding energies may be found in table 1.

Species Binding energy / eV Charge Ref Ref
V metal 512.7 Cu 2p / 932.3 eV 2
V2O3 515.15 O 1s / 530 eV 3
VO2 515.65 O 1s / 530 eV 3
V2O5 517 O 1s / 529.8 eV 3
V6O13 516.5 O 1s / 530 eV 3
V3O5 515.5 C 1s / 285 eV 4
V4O7 516 C 1s / 285 eV 4
Table 1: Common binding energies for V species
  1. References
    1. Spectra recorded by HarwellXPS
    2. Kasperkiewicz, J., et al. (1983). “XPS studies of vanadium and vanadium oxides.” Journal of Electron Spectroscopy and Related Phenomena 32(2): 123-132. Read it online here.
    3. Mendialdua, J., et al. (1995). “XPS studies of V2O5, V6O13, VO2 and V2O3.” Journal of Electron Spectroscopy and Related Phenomena 71(3): 249-261. Read it online here.
    4. Demeter, M., et al. (2000). “Mixed-valence vanadium oxides studied by XPS.” Surface science 454: 41-44. Read it online here.