TY - CONF A1 - Ehlert, Christopher A1 - Unger, Wolfgang A1 - Saalfrank, P. T1 - Theoretical NEXAFS investigation of structural defects in graphene: A density functional theory study T2 - 2013 Nutzertreffen am Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 2013-12-05 PY - 2013 AN - OPUS4-29863 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ehlert, Christopher A1 - Holzweber, Markus A1 - Lippitz, Andreas A1 - Unger, Wolfgang A1 - Saalfrank, Peter T1 - A detailed assignment of NEXAFS resonances of imidazolium based ionic liquids N2 - In Near Edge X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy X-Ray photons are used to excite tightly bound core electrons to low-lying unoccupied orbitals of the system. This technique offers insight into the electronic structure of the system as well as useful structural information. In this work, we apply NEXAFS to two kinds of imidazolium based ionic liquids ([CnC₁im]⁺[NTf₂]⁻ and [C₄C₁im]⁺[I]⁻). A combination of measurements and quantum chemical calculations of C K and N K NEXAFS resonances is presented. The simulations, based on the transition potential density functional theory method (TP-DFT), reproduce all characteristic features observed by the experiment. Furthermore, a detailed assignment of resonance features to excitation centers (carbon or nitrogen atoms) leads to a consistent interpretation of the spectra. KW - Ionic liquids KW - NEXAFS KW - DFT spectrum simulations PY - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-367223 SN - 1463-9076 SN - 1463-9084 VL - 18 IS - 12 SP - 8654 EP - 8661 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge, UK AN - OPUS4-36722 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ehlert, Christopher A1 - Unger, Wolfgang A1 - Saalfrank, P. T1 - C K-edge NEXAFS spectra of graphene with physical and chemical defects: a study based on density functional theory N2 - Recently, C K-edge Near Edge X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (NEXAFS) spectra of graphite (HOPG) surfaces have been measured for the pristine material, and for HOPG treated with either bromine or krypton plasmas (Lippitz et al., Surf. Sci., 2013, 611, L1). Changes of the NEXAFS spectra characteristic for physical (krypton) and/or chemical/physical modifications of the surface (bromine) upon plasma treatment were observed. Their molecular origin, however, remained elusive. In this work we study by density functional theory, the effects of selected point and line defects as well as chemical modifications on NEXAFS carbon K-edge spectra of single graphene layers. For Br-treated surfaces, also Br 3d X-ray Photoelectron Spectra (XPS) are simulated by a cluster approach, to identify possible chemical modifications. We observe that some of the defects related to plasma treatment lead to characteristic changes of NEXAFS spectra, similar to those in experiment. Theory provides possible microscopic origins for these changes. KW - Graphene KW - NEXAFS KW - Spectrum simulation KW - Density functional theory PY - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-309658 SN - 1463-9076 SN - 1463-9084 VL - 16 IS - 27 SP - 14083 EP - 14095 PB - The Royal Soc. of Chemistry CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-30965 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Ehlert, Christopher A1 - Holzwebe, Markus A1 - Lippitz, Andreas A1 - Unger, Wolfgang A1 - Saalfrank, P. T1 - A detailed assignment of NEXAFS resonances of imidazolium based ionic liquids N2 - In Near Edge X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy X-Ray photons are used to excite tightly bound core electrons to low-lying unoccupied orbitals of the system. This technique offers insight into the electronic structure of the system as well as useful structural information. In this work, we apply NEXAFS to two kinds of imidazolium based ionic liquids ([CnC1im]+ [NTf2]− and [C4C1im]+ [I]−). A combination of measurements and quantum chemical calculations of C K and N K NEXAFS resonances is presented. The simulations, based on the transition potential density functional theory method (TP-DFT), reproduce all characteristic features observed by the experiment. Further, a detailed assignment of resonance features to excitation centers leads to a consistent interpretation of the spectra. T2 - 52nd Symposium on Theoretical Chemistry (STC2016) CY - Ruhr Universität Bochum, Germany DA - 26.9.2016 KW - NEXAFS KW - Simulation KW - Ionic liquid PY - 2016 AN - OPUS4-38276 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dietrich, Paul A1 - Streeck, C. A1 - Glamsch, Stephan A1 - Ehlert, Christopher A1 - Lippitz, Andreas A1 - Nutsch, A. A1 - Kulak, N. A1 - Beckhoff, B. A1 - Unger, Wolfgang T1 - Quantification of silane molecules on oxidized silicon: Are there options for a traceable and absolute determination? N2 - Organosilanes are used routinely to functionalize various support materials for further modifications. Nevertheless, reliable quantitative information about surface functional group densities after layer formation is rarely available. Here, we present the analysis of thin organic nanolayers made from nitrogen containing silane molecules on naturally oxidized silicon wafers with reference-free total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). An areic density of 2−4 silane molecules per nm2 was calculated from the layer’s nitrogen mass deposition per area unit obtained by reference-free TXRF. Complementary energy and angle-resolved XPS (ER/ARXPS) in the Si 2p core-level region was used to analyze the outermost surface region of the organic (silane layer)−inorganic (silicon wafer) interface. Different coexisting silicon species as silicon, native silicon oxide, and silane were identified and quantified. As a result of the presented proof-of-concept, absolute and traceable values for the areic density of silanes containing nitrogen as intrinsic marker are obtained by calibration of the XPS methods with reference-free TXRF. Furthermore, ER/AR-XPS is shown to facilitate the determination of areic densities in (mono)layers made from silanes having no heteroatomic marker other than silicon. After calibration with reference-free TXRF, these areic densities of silane molecules can be determined when using the XPS component intensity of the silane’s silicon atom. PY - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.5b02846 SN - 0003-2700 SN - 1520-6882 VL - 87 IS - 19 SP - 10117 EP - 10124 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington, DC AN - OPUS4-34796 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dietrich, Paul A1 - Glamsch, Stephan A1 - Ehlert, Christopher A1 - Lippitz, Andreas A1 - Kulak, N. A1 - Unger, Wolfgang T1 - Synchrotron-radiation XPS analysis of ultra-thin silane films: Specifying the organic silicon N2 - The analysis of chemical and elemental in-depth variations in ultra-thin organic layers with thicknesses below 5 nm is very challenging. Energy- and angle-resolved XPS (ER/AR-XPS) opens up the possibility for non-destructive chemical ultra-shallow depth profiling of the outermost surface layer of ultra-thin organic films due to its exceptional surface sensitivity. For common organic materials a reliable chemical in-depth analysis with a lower limit of the XPS information depth z95 of about 1 nm can be performed. As a proof-of-principle example with relevance for industrial applications the ER/AR-XPS analysis of different organic monolayers made of amino- or benzamidosilane molecules on silicon oxide surfaces is presented. It is demonstrated how to use the Si 2p core-level region to non-destructively depth-profile the organic (silane monolayer) – inorganic (SiO2/Si) interface and how to quantify Si species, ranging from elemental silicon over native silicon oxide to the silane itself. The main advantage of the applied ER/AR-XPS method is the improved specification of organic from inorganic silicon components in Si 2p core-level spectra with exceptional low uncertainties compared to conventional laboratory XPS. KW - Synchrotron radiation XPS KW - Depth profiling KW - Silanes KW - Monolayer KW - Amines KW - Amides PY - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2015.12.052 SN - 0169-4332 SN - 1873-5584 VL - 363 SP - 406 EP - 411 PB - Elsevier B.V. CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-35262 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Ehlert, Christopher T1 - A Detailed Assignment of NEXAFS Resonances of Imidazolium Based Ionic Liquids T2 - Bessy User Meeting CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 2015-12-10 PY - 2015 AN - OPUS4-35212 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Ehlert, Christopher T1 - Investigation of NEXAFS Resonances of Self-Assembled Monolayers by Transition Potential Density Functional Theory T2 - Bessy User Meeting CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 2015-12-10 PY - 2015 AN - OPUS4-35213 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - THES A1 - Ehlert, Christopher T1 - Simulationen von Röntgenabsorptionsprozessen zur Charakterisierung von Systemen in kondensierter Phase N2 - Diese Doktorarbeit ist das Resultat einer intensiven und fruchtbaren Zusammenarbeit zwischen dem Fachbereich 6.1 (Oberflächenanalytik und Grenzflächenchemie) der Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) sowie der Arbeitsgruppe Theoretische Chemie von Professor Saalfrank an der Universität Potsdam. Zusammen haben wir die Strukturaufklärung von Systemen in kondensierter Phase unter Verwendung der Röntgenabsorptionsspektroskopie betrieben. Von Seiten der BAM wurden experimentelle Röntgenabsorptionsspektren hoher Auflösung an modernen Synchrotroneinrichtungen (BESSY II, Berlin) aufgenommen. Die Theoretische Chemie liefert, unter Verwendung quantenchemischer Methoden, die Möglichkeit die Spektren zu simulieren. Bei der Röntgenabsorption wird ein Photon hoher Energie von einem molekularen System absorbiert und in einen angeregten Zustand versetzt. Die Intensität der Absorption ist stark abhängig von der eingestrahlten Photonenenergie. Das resultierende Absorptionsspektrum enthält eine Vielzahl von Informationen. Meine Aufgabe bestand darin, die untersuchten Systeme am Computer zu modellieren. KW - XPS KW - NEXAFS KW - Spektrensimulation PY - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-104844 SP - 1 EP - 142 PB - Universität Potsdam CY - Potsdam AN - OPUS4-39562 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ehlert, Christopher A1 - Kröner, D. A1 - Saalfrank, P. T1 - A combined quantum chemical/molecular dynamics study of X-rayphotoelectron spectra of polyvinyl alcohol using oligomer models N2 - X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is a powerful tool for probing the local chemical environment ofatoms near surfaces. When applied to soft matter, such as polymers, XPS spectra are frequently shifted andbroadened due to thermal atom motion and by interchain interactions. We present a combined quantummechanical QM/molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of X-ray photoelectron spectra of polyvinyl alcohol(PVA) using oligomer models in order to account for and quantify these effects on the XPS (C1s) signal. Inour study, molecular dynamics at finite temperature were performed with a classical forcefield and by abinitio MD (AIMD) using the Car–Parrinello method. Snapshots along the trajectories represent possibleconformers and/or neighbouring environments, with different C1s ionization potentials for individualC atoms leading to broadened XPS peaks. The latter are determined by Δ-Kohn Sham calculations. Wealso examine the experimental practice of gauging XPS (C1s) signals of alkylic C-atoms in C-containingpolymers to the C1s signal of polyethylene. We find that (i) the experimental XPS (C1s) spectra of PVA (position and width) can be roughly repre-sented by single-strand models, (ii) interchain interactions lead to red-shifts of the XPS peaks by about0.6 eV, and (iii) AIMD simulations match the findings from classical MD semi-quantitatively. Further, (iv)the gauging procedure of XPS (C1s) signals to the values of PE, introduces errors of about 0.5 eV. KW - XPS KW - Quantummechanical molecular dynamics simulation KW - Polyvinyl alcohol PY - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elspec.2014.12.007 SN - 0368-2048 VL - 199 SP - 38 EP - 45 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-39290 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -