“…Moreover, the Ag-rich thin films (x = 95, 90, 70% and y = 0.3 and 1 nm) exhibit a VB shape similar to that of pure Ag, while the Mn-rich thin films (x = 30% and y = 5 and 10 nm) exhibit a VB shape closer to that of the pure Mn thin film. Given that the VB probes the electrons involved in bonding, including those in the d-band, 43,44,[72][73][74] trends in VB center and/or normalized area could relate to changes in average nearsurface adsorbate binding strength. 75 Therefore, if the d-band of the Ag x Mn 1Àx and Mn y @Ag thin films followed the VB trends shown in Fig.…”