Nitridation of polycrystalline titanium as studied by <i>in situ</i> angle‐resolved x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Abstract

Abstract Nitridation of polycrystalline titanium was investigated in situ at about 550°C by angle‐resolved x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The nitrogen pressure was varied from 10 −4 mbar to 1 mbar. The distribution of nitrogen in the titanium and the chemical bonding present were deduced from XPS measurements. Titanium nitridation passes through several stages as a function of the nitrogen exposure. The nitrogen concentration varies linearly with the logarithm of pressure and dose. Using the modified Ritchie‐Hund theory it was shown that the kinetics of titanium nitridation follows a cubic law.