I am doing research in water-splitting/OER/HER applications, recently encounter the problems of explaining XPS shift resluts. I thought that when XPS shifts to higher binding energy, it means that the valence number of the atom is increased, and whether the performace will be better depends on different applications. But someome told me that if the XPS shifts to lower binding energy, the performance is usually better. Is it true? Thanks for answering.
Tina Sung
Most of the time shift in XPS peaks may be attributed to the change in oxidation states which is a chemical shift. If you observed a shift in peak towards lower binding energy, meaning oxidation state is lowered. You may go through the standard XPS database of your material for detailed analysis. I hope this answer will help you. Best luck with your research !!
Dear Tina,
I think that in no way can it be generalized. In addition, it will depend on which chemical element is the one that experiences this energy shift. If all the elements are shifting, I'm afraid the problem is the calibration of the sample. In the case of oxygen, and I say this from my own experience, the appearance of a component with higher binding energy in some cases can be attributed to the presence of oxygen vacancies (in the most superficial area), which could generate a better catalytic activity.
Dear Tina,
I think that in no way can it be generalized. In addition, it will depend on which chemical element is the one that experiences this energy shift. If all the elements are shifting, I'm afraid the problem is the calibration of the sample. In the case of oxygen, and I say this from my own experience, the appearance of a component with higher binding energy in some cases can be attributed to the presence of oxygen vacancies (in the most superficial area), which could generate a better catalytic activity.
You may check the XPS database for your material system. This article might be useful also for your query.
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2020/ta/d0ta01877e
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