About the facility;
Our Versatile X-ray Spectroscopy Facility (VXSF) allows us to probe a material’s elemental composition and surface chemistry. The facility offers a state-of-the-art SPECS EnviroESCA environmental near-ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP-XPS) to analyse soft, hydrated or volatile materials, alongside a traditional ultra-high vacuum (UHV) XPS instrument.
VXSF enables the study of dynamic experiments over time on whole devices or component-sized samples. We can use this analysis to understand the chemical composition of materials across a range of applications, such as pharmaceuticals, catalysis, semiconductors and corrosion.
This facility is part of the Henry Royce Institute and is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
Funding and access options
If you’re from another academic institution, a research technology organisation, or a UK-based SME, you may be able to access the Leeds Electron Microscopy Facility through Royce’s equipment access schemes.
If you’re a researcher based at the University of Leeds, enquire to explore access options. If you’re a business, learn more about access options for our facilities.
Available equipment
- SPECS EnviroESCA NAP-XPS with silver (Ar) cluster source (GCIB), charge neutralisation, sample heating and cooling, control of gas phase composition and XPS up to 30 millibars.
- UHV XPS module with Al (monochromatic), zirconium (Zr) and Chromium K-alpha (Cr Ka) sources and noble gas ion etching.
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