Electronic Properties of In Situ Prepared Nanocrystalline Fe-Ni-Ti Alloy Thin Films

In this contribution we study experimentally the electronic properties of nanocrystalline Fe-Ni-Ti alloy thin films using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The structure of the samples has been studied by X-ray diffraction. Their bulk chemical compositions were measured using X-ray fluorescence method. The surface chemical composition and the cleanness of all samples were checked in situ, immediately after deposition, transferring the samples to an UHV analysis chamber equipped with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction studies revealed the formation of nanocrystalline Fe-Ni-Ti alloy thin films at a substrate temperature of about 293 K. In situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies showed that the valence bands of nanocrystalline samples are broader compared to those measured for the polycrystalline bulk alloys. Such modifications of the valence bands of the nanocrystalline alloy thin films could influence on their hydrogenation properties.