UHV and Ambient Pressure XPS: Potentials for Mg, MgO, and Mg(OH)2 Surface Analysis

The surface sensitivity of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has positioned the technique as a routine analysis tool for chemical and electronic structure information. Samples ranging from ideal model systems to industrial materials can be analyzed. Instrumentational developments in the past two decades have popularized ambient pressure XPS, with pressures in the tens of mbar now commonplace. Here, we briefly review the technique, including a discussion of developments that allow data collection at higher pressures. We illustrate the information XPS can provide by using examples from the literature, including MgO studies. We hope to illustrate the possibilities of ambient pressure XPS to Mg, MgO, and Mg(OH)2 systems, both in fundamental and applied studies.