X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) Study of the Tarnishing of Metal-coated Textiles

The nature of the corrosion present on the surface of gold-coated silver thread has been studied. The surface-sensitive XPS technique has demonstrated silver migration to the surface and subsequent reaction with atmospheric sulphur. The influence of associated sulphur-containing textile fibres has been investigated and the presence of other unidentified surface contaminants demonstrated by XPS and ToF-SIMS.