Magic-angle theorem in powder x-ray-absorption spectroscopy

Chemical Sensitivity of Kβ and Kα X-ray Emission from a Systematic Investigation of Iron Compounds

K-fluorescence X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) is receiving growing interest in all fields of natural sciences to investigate the local spin. The spin sensitivity in Kβ (Kα) XES stems from the exchange interaction between the unpaired 3p (2p) and the 3d electrons, which is greater for Kβ than for Kα. We present a thorough investigation of a large number of iron-bearing compounds. The experimental spectra were analyzed in terms of commonly used quantitative parameters (Kβ_1,3-first moment, Kα₁-full width at half-maximum, and integrated absolute difference -IAD-), and we carefully examined the difference spectra. Multiplet calculations were also performed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms that lead to the chemical sensitivity. Our results confirm a strong influence of covalency on both Kβ and Kα lines. We establish a reliable spin sensitivity of Kβ XES as it is dominated by the exchange interaction, whose variations can be quantified by either Kβ_1,3-first moment or Kβ-IAD and result in a systematic difference signal line shape. We find an exception in the Kβ XES of Fe³⁺ and Fe²⁺ in water solution, where a new difference spectrum is identified that cannot be reproduced by scaling the exchange integrals. We explain this by strong differences in orbital mixing between the valence orbitals. This result calls for caution in the interpretation of Kβ XES spectral changes as due to spin variations without a careful analysis of the line shape. For Kα XES, the smaller exchange interaction and the influence of other electron-electron interactions make it difficult to extract a quantity that directly relates to the spin.

X-ray absorption linear dichroism at the Ti K-edge of rutile (001) TiO2 single crystal

X-ray absorption linear dichroism of rutile TiO2 at the Ti K-edge provides information about the electronic states involved in the pre-edge transitions. Here, linear dichroism with high energy resolution is analyzed in combination with ab initio finite difference method calculations and spherical tensor analysis. It provides an assignment of the three pre-edge peaks beyond the octahedral crystal field splitting approximation and estimates the spatial extension of the corresponding final states. It is then discussed for the first time the X-ray absorption (XAS) of pentacoordinated titanium atoms due to oxygen vacancies and it is found that, similarly to anatase TiO2, rutile is expected to exhibit a transition on the low-energy side of peak A3. Its apparent absence in the experiment is related to the degree of p-d orbital mixing which is small in rutile due to its centrosymmetric point group. A recent XAS linear dichroism study on anatase TiO2 single crystals has shown that peak A2 has an intrinsic origin and is due to a quadrupolar transition to the 3d energy levels. In rutile, due to its centrosymmetric point group, the corresponding peak A2 has a small dipole moment explaining the weak transition. The results are confronted with recent picosecond X-ray absorption spectroscopy on rutile TiO2 nanoparticles.

Mapping polaronic states and lithiation gradients in individual V2O5 nanowires

The rapid insertion and extraction of Li ions from a cathode material is imperative for the functioning of a Li-ion battery. In many cathode materials such as LiCoO2, lithiation proceeds through solid-solution formation, whereas in other materials such as LiFePO4 lithiation/delithiation is accompanied by a phase transition between Li-rich and Li-poor phases. We demonstrate using scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) that in individual nanowires of layered V2O5, lithiation gradients observed on Li-ion intercalation arise from electron localization and local structural polarization. Electrons localized on the V2O5 framework couple to local structural distortions, giving rise to small polarons that serves as a bottleneck for further Li-ion insertion. The stabilization of this polaron impedes equilibration of charge density across the nanowire and gives rise to distinctive domains. The enhancement in charge/discharge rates for this material on nanostructuring can be attributed to circumventing challenges with charge transport from polaron formation.

Defects in room-temperature ferromagnetic Cu-doped ZnO films probed by x-ray absorption spectroscopy

We report a comprehensive study of the defects in room-temperature ferromagnetic (RTFM) Cu-doped ZnO thin films using x-ray absorption spectroscopy. The films are doped with 2 at.% Cu, and are prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering (RMS) and pulsed laser deposition (PLD), respectively. The results reveal unambiguously that atomic point defects exist in these RTFM thin films. The valence states of the Cu ions in both films are 2(+). In the film prepared by PLD, the oxygen vacancies (V(O)) form around both Zn ions and Cu ions in the hexagonal wurtzite structure. Upon annealing of the film in O(2), the V(O) population reduces and so does the RTFM. In the film prepared by RMS, the V(O)s around Cu ions are not detected, and the V(O) population around Zn ions is also smaller than in the PLD-prepared film. However, zinc vacancies (V(Zn)) are evidenced. Given the low doping level of spin-carrying Cu ions, these results provide strong support for defect-mediated ferromagnetism in Cu-doped ZnO thin films.

Measurement of c-axis angular orientation in calcite (CaCO3) nanocrystals using X-ray absorption spectroscopy

We demonstrate that the ability to manipulate the polarization of synchrotron radiation can be exploited to enhance the capabilities of X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, to include linear dichroism effects. By acquiring spectra at the same photon energies but different polarizations, and using a photoelectron emission spectromicroscope (PEEM), one can quantitatively determine the angular orientation of micro- and nanocrystals with a spatial resolution down to 10 nm. XANES-PEEM instruments are already present at most synchrotrons, hence these methods are readily available. The methods are demonstrated here on geologic calcite (CaCO(3)) and used to investigate the prismatic layer of a mollusk shell, Pinctada fucata. These XANES-PEEM data reveal multiply oriented nanocrystals within calcite prisms, previously thought to be monocrystalline. The subdivision into multiply oriented nanocrystals, spread by more than 50°, may explain the excellent mechanical properties of the prismatic layer, known for decades but never explained.

The iron-site structure of [Fe]-hydrogenase and model systems: an X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy study

The [Fe]-hydrogenase is an ideal system for studying the electronic properties of the low spin iron site that is common to the catalytic centres of all hydrogenases. Because they have no auxiliary iron-sulfur clusters and possess a cofactor containing a single iron centre, the [Fe]-hydrogenases are well suited for spectroscopic analysis of those factors required for the activation of molecular hydrogen. Specifically, in this study we shed light on the electronic and molecular structure of the iron centre by XAS analysis of [Fe]-hydrogenase from Methanocaldococcus jannashii and five model complexes (Fe(ethanedithiolate)(CO)(2)(PMe(3))(2), [K(18-crown-6)](2)[Fe(CN)(2)(CO)(3)], K[Fe(CN)(CO)(4)], K(3)[Fe(III)(CN)(6)], K(4)[Fe(II)(CN)(6)]). The different electron donors have a strong influence on the iron absorption K-edge energy position, which is frequently used to determine the metal oxidation state. Our results demonstrate that the K-edges of Fe(II) complexes, achieved with low-spin ferrous thiolates, are consistent with a ferrous centre in the [Fe]-hydrogenase from Methanocaldococcus jannashii. The metal geometry also strongly influences the XANES and thus the electronic structure. Using in silico simulation, we were able to reproduce the main features of the XANES spectra and describe the effects of individual donor contributions on the spectra. Thereby, we reveal the essential role of an unusual carbon donor coming from an acyl group of the cofactor in the determination of the electronic structure required for the activity of the enzyme.

Density functional theory simulations of B K and N K NEXAFS spectra of h-BN/transition metal(111) interfaces

The electronic structure and the corresponding B K and N K near-edge x-ray fine structure (NEXAFS) spectra of epitaxially grown h-BN on Ni(111), Pt(111), and Rh(111) surfaces are investigated by density functional theory. The calculations are carried out using the WIEN2k program package applying the augmented-plane-wave+local orbitals (APW+lo) method. The NEXAFS spectra are simulated using a 3 × 3 × 1 super cell and considering the final state rule by means of a (partial) core hole for the corresponding atom. The influence of a full or partial core hole is shown for the h-BN/Ni(111) system, for which the best agreement with the experimental spectra is found when half a core hole is assumed. All characteristic features of the experimental spectra are well reproduced by theory, including the angular dependences. The bonding effects are investigated by comparing the spectra of bulk h-BN with those of the h-BN/Ni(111) system. An analysis of both the density of states and charge densities reveals strong N-p(z)-Ni-d(z(2)) bonding/antibonding interactions. In the case of Pt(111) and Rh(111) surfaces, we discuss the effects of the nanomesh structures in terms of simple 1 × 1 commensurate models.