Site-selective X-ray absorption spectroscopy of cobalt nanoparticles

The special (macroscopic) properties of nanoparticles are mainly due to their large surface-to-volume ratio. Thus, the separate characterization of geometric and electronic properties of surface and bulk would be favorable for a better understanding of the properties of nanoparticles. Because of the chemical sensitivity of X-ray fluorescence lines, in particular those involving higher lying electronic states, high-resolution fluorescence-detected X-ray absorption spectra (HRFD-XAS) offer these opportunities. In this study, three types of wet-chemically synthesized Co nanoparticles, ∼6 nm in diameter with varying thicknesses of a protective shell, were investigated at the ID26 beamline of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. HRFD-XAS spectra at the Co K-edge, that is, X-ray absorption near-edge structure (HRFD-XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (HRFD-EXAFS) spectra, were recorded via detection of the Kβ1,3 fluorescence at specific energies. As these spectra are only partly site-sel...