X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is a technique dedicated for analysis of chemical composition of surface of solids (under ultra-high vacuum), which provides information on outermost surface and thin layers. Our XPS system (produced by PREVAC) is equipped with a preparation chamber, a hemispheric analyzer of charged particles (VG SCIENTA R3000), X-ray Al-Kα and Mg-Kα sources, ion gun for depth profiles (IS 40E1) and electron gun for Auger spectroscopy (ES 40C1). The XPS method is particularly significant in the field of catalysis, material engineering, corrosion and electrochemistry. A wide set of sample holders enables examination of samples in the form of wires, plates, granules and powders. Before a XPS measurement, thermal (in a preparation chamber) or chemical (in a reactor) activation of material surface is possible. The high-pressure flow reactor used for the chemical activation, allows an application of up to four different reaction gases, variable pressure (up to 1.6 MPa) and temperature (RT - 640 °C), as well as an analysis of gaseous products in a quadrupole mass spectrometer.
