Orbitals and Energies #
Note – these are listed in BINDING ENERGY
Zn 2s ≈ 1191 eV
Zn 2p ≈ 1020 eV
Zn 3s ≈ 140 eV
Zn 3p ≈ 87 eV
Common Overlaps for Zn 2p #
V LMM (Al Ka X-rays) – Pm 3d – Sb MNN (Al Ka X-rays) – At 4s – U 4s
Theory and Background #
Zinc exhibits minimal differences in the binding energy of different chemical states, due to a number of factors:
Experimental Advice #
Zinc analysis is typically performed on the Zn 2p photoemission, however obtaining the Zn KLL auger region is often paramount for interpreting the data correctly. There may be a slight overlap between the Zn 2p peaks and the O and V KLL augers from Al X-rays, however it should not impede deconvolution, partly due to the large doublet separation (23 eV).
Data Analysis Guidance #
Common binding energies for Zinc species may be found below:
| Species | Binding energy / eV | Charge Ref. | Ref. |
| Zn | 1021.65 | Au 4f / 83.95 eV | 1 |
| ZnO | 1021.7 | C 1s / 285 eV | 2 |
While the separation above may be small, as mentioned previously, the Zn LMM auger may assist in spectral understanding via the modified Auger parameters (table 2).
References #
- Data acquired by HarwellXPS
- Ramgir, N. S., et al. (2006). “ZnO multipods, submicron wires, and spherical structures and their unique field emission behavior.” The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 110(37): 18236-18242. Read it online here.
- Diler, E., et al. (2014). “Initial formation of corrosion products on pure zinc and MgZn2 examinated by XPS.” Corrosion science 79: 83-88. Read it online here.
- Leontiev, S. A., et al. “Detailed XPS and UPS studies of the band structure of zinc oxide.” Journal of structural chemistry 38 (1997): 725-731. Read it online here.
