Applied Surface Science, Vol.493, 1048-1054, 2019
Milling-induced chemical decomposition of the surface of EuBaCo2O5.5 powders studied by means of soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy
We present results of soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy studies of EuBaCo2O5.5 powders subjected to mechanical impact (milling in a ball mill). We show that in the near-surface region (5-10 nm) of particles of the powder, EuBaCo2O5.5 decomposes into Co3O4, BaCO3, and EuCoO3. A knowledge of the low-spin state of Co3+ ions in EuCoO3 and Co3O4 and possibilities of surface-sensitive soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy have allowed to determine the composition of the EuBaCo2O5.5 sample subjected to mechanical impact near its surface, which is inaccessible to standard X-ray phase analysis.