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Damage-free X-ray spectroscopy characterization of oxide thin films
Published Web Location
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2023.157335Abstract
Thin polymer or oxide films are ubiquitous components in many devices, including membranes for filtration or electrodes in electrochemical energy storage. High energy electron or x-ray probes for microscopy and spectroscopy are useful to characterize and understand these materials. However, irreversible damage by the probe radiation remains a challenge. Here, we show that graphene serves as an x-ray and electron transparent substrate that substantially reduces radiation damage of an oxide thin film. We demonstrate this using highly focused x-ray beams, which show that compared to oxide thin films supported on a substrate, graphene-supported regions show minimal changes in the x-ray spectra as a function of x-ray dose. These results pave the way for the development of experimental setups that allow for long exposure time measurements with limited sample damage and substrate-directed radiation patterning.
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