I synthesized pure ZnO with a hydrothermal microwave method and decorated them with CuO with the incipient wetness impregnation method. The Zn2p edges of pure ZnO are at 1044.7 and 1021.6 eV (binding energy), while those that were decorated with CuO shifter toward lover binding energies (1044.3 and 1021.2 eV). I understand that a shift is normal when doping, or when forming heterojunctions. However, all of the literature I've read on Cu doped ZnO or ZnO/CuO nanocomposites report Zn2p shifts towards higher binding energies, not lower. Is there a possible explanation on why I'm getting shifts toward lower binding energies in this case?
1) You are discussing edges, not peak maxima. What is the intention behind that?
2) Is your data charge corrected? Doing that properly for nanocomposites can be quite difficult.
Don't forget that the surface characteristics will have changed, so if using carbon calibration, the second (i.e. Cu decorated) surface may have a different zero point charge or other effect and hence he carbon may not be the best.
Do all the other core-levels move by the same 0.4 eV? If so then this is likely to be a charge referencing issue.
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