X-Ray Photoelectron Spectrometer

• Subject Area: Chemical Solid State and Surface Research
• Term: Funded in 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 569336722

This proposal aims to acquire an instrument capable of XPS measurements that will fill in crucial gaps in chemicals and materials characterization at the University of Bonn. The instrument is a self-contained system that uses X-Rays to characterize the electronic structure of various elements present in a sample, which can be molecular or solid state in nature. In particular, this method uses an X-Ray source to expel a core electron from an atom and the expelled pho-toelectron is measured with a detector. The energy of the expelled electrons are directly related to the element and its electronic structure. The information provided through XPS analysis of electronic structure of each element within a sample is unique and cannot be alternatively acquired with other instruments/techniques already available at Univ. Bonn. Uniquely, this information stems from the first few nanometers of a sample’s surface, a feature inherently important for heterogeneous catalysis. Within the Kornienko lab, the XPS spectrometer will enable the team to link the surface composition and electronic structure of materials with their catalytic performance in electrochemical small molecule activation. Similarly, within the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Bonn, this instrument will be invaluable for measuring aspects like oxidation state and of molecular and solid-state samples and helping explain their catalytic and luminescent properties.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Röntgen-Photoelektronenspektrometer
• Instrumentation Group: 1780 Photoelektronenspektrometer (UPS und XPS)
• Applicant Institution: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
• Leader: Professor Nikolay Kornienko, Ph.D.