XPS quantification of oxygen vacancies in mesoporous and non-mesoporous CeO2: comment on an article by Thill et al., J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020, 8, 24752–24762

Abstract

In the present Comment I emphasize that X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) studies of ceria-based materials require a detailed knowledge of the actual profile of Ce 3d spectra of CeO₂ and Ce₂O₃ oxides and that great care should be devoted to experimental modalities with which such spectra are recorded. In particular, I propose that this also applies to the case of XPS analysis aimed to quantify the population of oxygen vacancies in mesoporous and non-mesoporous ceria.