Tao Liu, Shuai Wu, Ziqin Yang, Yang Ye, Jianpeng Li, Guangze Jiang, Hangxu Li, Zepeng Jiang, Lu Li, Shichun Huang, Andong Wu, Yue Tao, Feng Qiu, Teng Tan, Zhijun Wang, Yuan He
{"title":"Step-controlled ultra-precise chemical etching for removing chemical residues from metallic niobium surfaces","authors":"Tao Liu, Shuai Wu, Ziqin Yang, Yang Ye, Jianpeng Li, Guangze Jiang, Hangxu Li, Zepeng Jiang, Lu Li, Shichun Huang, Andong Wu, Yue Tao, Feng Qiu, Teng Tan, Zhijun Wang, Yuan He","doi":"10.1016/j.apsusc.2024.161776","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"This work presents a highly precise chemical etching process designed to achieve controlled modulation of the formation and removal of the oxide layer on the surface of niobium (Nb). Angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS) results indicate that the surface attains a saturated oxide layer thickness above 3 nm following treatment with HNO<sub>3</sub>. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results show that the removal efficiency of chemical residue on the Nb surface significantly improves with increased treatment time in HNO<sub>3</sub> and HF. A detailed surface analysis with a 3D optical profiler demonstrates that this method enables uniform etching without compromising the surface flatness of Nb while effectively removing the chemical residues. Electrochemical stability measurements and Vickers hardness tests reveal that cyclic etching exerts minimal impact on the mechanical properties of Nb, while the self-healing characteristics of the surface oxide layer maintain its chemical stability. This method not only advances precision etching for Nb but also opens up the potential for its application in high-performance materials where surface integrity and chemical resilience are paramount.","PeriodicalId":247,"journal":{"name":"Applied Surface Science","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Applied Surface Science","FirstCategoryId":"88","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2024.161776","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This work presents a highly precise chemical etching process designed to achieve controlled modulation of the formation and removal of the oxide layer on the surface of niobium (Nb). Angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS) results indicate that the surface attains a saturated oxide layer thickness above 3 nm following treatment with HNO3. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results show that the removal efficiency of chemical residue on the Nb surface significantly improves with increased treatment time in HNO3 and HF. A detailed surface analysis with a 3D optical profiler demonstrates that this method enables uniform etching without compromising the surface flatness of Nb while effectively removing the chemical residues. Electrochemical stability measurements and Vickers hardness tests reveal that cyclic etching exerts minimal impact on the mechanical properties of Nb, while the self-healing characteristics of the surface oxide layer maintain its chemical stability. This method not only advances precision etching for Nb but also opens up the potential for its application in high-performance materials where surface integrity and chemical resilience are paramount.
期刊介绍:
Applied Surface Science covers topics contributing to a better understanding of surfaces, interfaces, nanostructures and their applications. The journal is concerned with scientific research on the atomic and molecular level of material properties determined with specific surface analytical techniques and/or computational methods, as well as the processing of such structures.