Abstract
Chromate coatings on galvanized steel have been studied by Synchrotron Radiation (SR) based techniques that include X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Total-Electron-Yield X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (TEY-XANES). Non-destructive depth profiling of the coatings by SR-XPS reveals the enhancement of Cr6+ in the outer surface. TEY-XANES spectroscopy based on simple specimen current measurement is demonstrated as an effective technique for analyzing chemical states of conversion coatings on general bulk substrates. The sampling depth of this technique, which exceeds several tens of nanometer, is determined by the penetration length of Auger electrons excited by X-ray and the inelastic mean free path of secondary electrons excited by inelastically scattered Auger electrons. The chemical states of phosphoric acid added chromate coatings are studied using this technique. The phosphoric acid is taken into the chromate coatings as partially changed into zinc and chromium phosphates, and the remainder is as simply dried. A specimen negative bias technique is useful to increase the TEY-XANES signals.
