Electronic structure of Ti metal and TiO2 powder studied by hard and soft (Cu Kα1 and Al Kα1) X-ray photoelectron and Auger spectroscopy

High-energy X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is of particular importance for minimizing the effects of surface contamination by increasing photoelectron escape depths. In this study high-resolution high-energy Cu Kα1 and soft Al Kα1 XPS and Auger electron spectroscopy were used to compare the electronic structure of Ti in TiO2 powder and Ti metal. The Ti 1s in TiO2 XPS line is narrower and more symmetric than in Ti metal. A comparison of the relative intensities of the L23M23M45 and L23M23M23 Auger transitions in Ti metal and TiO2 is consistent with the expected transfer of Ti 3d electrons away from the Ti site in the oxide. The satellites accompanying the Ti 1s XPS line excited by Cu Kα1 X-rays occur at the same energies as the satellites accompanying the Ti 2s and 2p XPS lines excited by Al Kα1 X-rays indicating that they do not depend on the core-level, the experimental resolution or inelastic scattering processes.