XPS analyses of lanthanides phosphates

XPS measurements were performed on lanthanide orthophosphates LnPO4 (Ln: La, Ce, Nd, Gd), and correlated with XRD and some EDS analyses. Single lanthanide phosphates LnPO4 and mixed lanthanide phosphates LnxLn′1−xPO4, all crystallized in a monoclinic structure similar to the monazite mineral. Results were examined qualitatively and quantitatively, by considering the Ln 3d lines, P 2p line and O 1s line. Ionic sputtering does not induce significant broadening nor an additional shift of the lanthanide peaks and does not have an effect on their chemical environments, except in the case of cerium. However, sputtering seems to significantly reduce the intensity of the O 1s and P 2p peaks, while Auger peaks of carbon and oxygen atoms interfere, respectively, with the 3d line of gadolinium and neodymium. Those phenomena are all the more important when the Nd and Gd content is weak and must be taken into account for a quantitative analysis of the spectra. The quantitative analyses reveal the expected results for single monazites. On mixed phosphates, the measured phosphorous and oxygen amounts are generally more valid for non-sputtered sample surfaces than for sputtered surfaces, while the calculated relative amount of lanthanides [Ln]/[Ln′] are correct in all the cases. One of the important goals of this work was to have a satisfactory value for the atomic ratio La/Gd, and particularly in the case of (La,Ce)PO4 and (La,Gd)PO4, to obtain good agreement between the calculated lanthanides ratio Nd/Gd and ratios estimated from XRD and EDS measurements.