The Advanced Photoelectron Spectroscopy Laboratory (APSL) is located in the Department of Materials at Imperial College London, and is a world-leading centre for the development and application of X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS).
It houses two state-of-the-art X-ray photoelectron spectrometers, one high-throughput XPS system (Thermo Scientific – K-Alpha+) and a high-pressure XPS system (Scienta Omicron).
High-Throughput XPS (HTXPS) – Thermo Scientific K-Alpha+
This instrument underpins a wide-range of research across many different departments at Imperial College (and with other universities/companies). It is very straight forward to operate and provides high quality data reliably and quickly. The K-Alpha+ operates under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions – that is a base pressure of 10-9 mbar. The instrument specifications are found on the HTXPS page here:
This instrument can be booked for use by members of Imperial College after an initial training period. The booking rules for the instrument are found here.
High-Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (HPXPS)
The HPXPS system is a world-leading instrument in the emerging field of photoelectron spectroscopy in non-UHV conditions. Samples can be analysed under a wide range of environmental conditions, using gases such as O2, CO2, H2, CO and H2O (to name a few) and sample temperatures from 100 – 1100 K. The typical measurement pressure is ~1 mbar, many orders of magnitude greater than traditional XPS systems. More details and the instrument specifications are found on the HPXPS page here.
Schematic and photograph of the HPXPS system at Imperial College, London. Both show (1) the load lock, (2) the preparation chamber, (3) the analysis chamber, (4) the HiPP 2.5 analyser, and (5) the monochromator and X-ray source.
Contact us at the APSL
If you would like any further information not available on the website please email us apsl@imperial.ac.uk and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Payne Research Lab 