Article
Impact of PHI AES instruments on scientific discovery
Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) has long been recognized as a powerful technique for nanoscale surface analysis, enabling highly localized chemical characterization with nanometer-scale spatial resolution. PHI AES instruments—including the PHI 700 and PHI 710 Scanning Auger Nanoprobes—are widely used to investigate materials challenges in fields such as batteries, advanced alloys, semiconductor devices, and quantum materials. This article highlights several recent publications demonstrating how PHI AES instruments have helped uncover important scientific insights by linking nanoscale surface chemistry to material performance.
Battery Materials
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Recent studies by Bong et al. demonstrate how PHI AES instruments enable nanoscale insights for battery materials by directly linking surface chemistry to material performance. AES analysis with a PHI 710 revealed the nanoscale distribution and thickness of LiNbO₃ coatings on NCM523 cathode particles, showing that while thicker coatings improve surface coverage, they can also increase overpotential and slow discharge kinetics due to reduced electronic conductivity. |
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Fig.1 (a) AES (a) and (b) EDS maps of the Nb distribution on NMC523 |
2D Materials
Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides such as monolayer WSe₂ are promising materials for next-generation nanoelectronic devices, but achieving low-resistance electrical contacts remains a major challenge. In a recent study by Hoang et al., researchers investigated a method for forming low-resistance p-type contacts to monolayer WSe₂ using chlorinated solvent doping.
The authors used Auger Electron Spectroscopy with a PHI 700 Scanning Auger Nanoprobe to analyze exfoliated WSe₂ flakes. AES elemental mapping and line scans provided nanoscale information on the distribution of key elements across the material surface and enabled the detection of chlorine associated with the solvent-based doping process.
The AES results supported the proposed doping mechanism involving interfacial interactions between WSe₂ and the dopant species, providing insight into strategies for improving electrical contacts in two-dimensional semiconductor devices.
Fig.2 (a) AFM scan of an exfoliated WSe2 flake with various layer thicknesses, (b) Height distribution of the exfoliated flake before (gray) and after (green) doping, (c) SEM image of the exfoliated WSe2 flake (d-f) AES maps of a doped WSe2 flake of Se, Si, and Cl, (g) AES line scans extracted from maps.
Quantum Nanostructures
Atomically thin quantum nanostructures are attracting significant interest because reduced dimensionality can produce unique electronic and optical properties relevant for next-generation nanoelectronic and quantum devices. In a recent study, Xufan Li et al. reported the synthesis of transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) quantum nanoribbons (NR), which are ultra-narrow structures derived from monolayer materials whose properties differ from those of larger two-dimensional flakes.
To verify the chemical composition and nanoscale uniformity of the nanoribbons, the authors used Auger Electron Spectroscopy with a PHI 700 Scanning Auger Nanoprobe. AES provided localized elemental analysis of individual nanoribbon features, confirming the elemental composition and spatial distribution of the constituent elements.
These results validated the synthesis approach and contributed to a deeper understanding of emerging low-dimensional quantum materials.
Fig.3 (a) AES elemental mapping of Mo, Na, and Ni in a seed nanoparticle (NP), (b) AES spectra of NP, (c) AES maps of NR including the tip NP
Corrosion Science
In corrosion studies, Liu et al. used a PHI 710 equipped with integrated EBSD to correlate crystallographic orientation and phase distribution in multiphase stainless steels with passive film composition and thickness. By targeting specific grains and phase boundaries, AES revealed how variations in microstructure influence passive film stability and pitting behavior in chlorine-containing environments
Fig.4 Schematic diagram of test locations in AES. (a) Inverse Pole Figure (IPFZ) map and (b) phase map. A, F, and M are the ferrite, austenite, and martensite phases, respectively.
Fig.5 AES depth profiling results of passive films. (a) (001) orientation of ferrite, (b) (101) orientation of ferrite, (c) (111) orientation of ferrite, (d) (001) orientation of austenite, (e) (102) orientation of austenite, (f) (111) orientation of austenite, (g) (001) orientation of martensite, (h) (101) orientation of martensite and (i) (111) orientation of martensite.
References
W. S. K. Bong and K. Kawamoto, Revealing and Overcoming Unfavorable Electrochemical Behaviors of Thick LiNbO₃-Coated NCM523 for All-Solid-State Lithium Batteries, ECS Advances, 3 (2024) 020503. DOI: 10.1149/2754-2734/ad4b40. https://doi.org/10.1149/2754-2734/ad4b40
L. Hoang et al., Low resistance p-type contacts to monolayer WSe₂ through chlorinated solvent doping, Nature Communications, 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-65604-3. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65604-3
X. Li et al., Width-dependent continuous growth of atomically thin quantum nanoribbons from nanoalloy seeds in chalcogen vapor, Nature Communications, 2024. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-54413-9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54413-9
M. Liu et al., Investigations on the Passive and Pitting Behaviors of Multiphase Stainless Steel in Chlorine Atmosphere, Journal of Materials Research and Technology, 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmrt.2023.12.243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2023.12.243