We have studied the electronic structure of nitinol exposed to low-energy oxygen-ion bombardment, using x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. XPS spectra reveal a gradual transformation of nitinol surfaces into TiO2 with increased dose of implanted oxygen. No oxidation of Ni atoms has been detected. NEXAFS spectra around O K-edge and Ti L2,3-edge, reflecting the element-specific partial density of empty electronic states, exhibit features, which can be attributed to the creation of molecular orbitals, crystal field splitting, and the absence of long-range order, characteristic of the amorphous TiO2. Based on these results, we discuss the oxidation kinetics of nitinol under low-energy oxygen-ion bombardment.
The authors have applied high-resolution near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure measurements around the nitrogen K-edge to study the effects of ion-bombardment on near-surface properties of boron nitride nanotubes. A notable difference has been observed between surface sensitive partial electron yield (PEY) and bulk sensitive total electron yield (TEY) fine-structure measurements. The authors assign the PEY fine structure to the coupling of excited molecular vibrational modes to electronic transitions in NO molecules trapped just below the surface. Oxidation resistance of the boron nitride nanotubes is significantly reduced by low energy ion bombardment, as broken B-N bonds are replaced by N-O bonds involving oxygen present in the surface region. In contrast to the PEY spectra, the bulk sensitive TEY measurements on as-grown samples do not exhibit any fine structure while the ion-bombarded samples show a clear vibronic signature of molecular nitrogen.
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