“…Figure shows the evolution of the Fe(2p) and O(1s) XPS regions of a nitrided iron surface during exposure to oxygen at a substrate temperature of 125 K and following subsequent annealing. Before exposure to oxygen, the Fe(2p) region consisted of two peaks located at 706.8 and 719.9 eV corresponding to the Fe(2p 3/2 ) and Fe(2p 1/2 ) transitions of Fe/Fe x N y , respectively. , Upon oxidation, new peaks appeared in the Fe(2p) region centered at 710 and 723 eV indicative of iron oxide(hydroxide) production. , Prior to oxidation, the O(1s) XPS region exhibited no discernible spectral intensity. During exposure to oxygen, however, a broad peak appeared in the O(1s) region that was fitted to a combination of O 2- (≈530.0 eV), OH - (≈532.1 eV), and H 2 O (≈533.8 eV) species, the latter two a consequence of background water adsorption and decomposition. , With extended exposures ( t > 60 min), all of the O(1s) peaks increased in intensity, although the H 2 O peak became the dominant feature, indicating the buildup of a H 2 O overlayer.…”