Abstract
The preferential sputtering of S from bulk MoS 2 standard samples exposed to 3 keV Ar + ion bombardment has been studied by XPS. The MoS x stoichiometry decreases from MoS 2 to MoS 1.12 with a concomitant reduction in the Mo 3d 5/2 binding energy from 229.25 to 228.35 eV. The altered layer extends to a depth of 3.8 nm and is proposed to consist of a single amorphous MoS x phase in which Mo has a varying number of nearest neighbour S atoms. Using peak positions alone it is possible to determine the MoS x stoichiometry to an accuracy of x±0.1 from a plot of MoS x stoichiometry against (Mo 3d 5/2–S 2p 3/2) binding energy. The results are of strong current interest for coating analysis applications as MoS 2 is a compound capable of providing low friction properties when incorporated into hard coatings.
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