X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) are two complimentary techniques that are used to obtain data about the chemical and electronic states of materials. The information that XPS acquires is from the surfaces of samples, while EDS gets information from the bulk. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is a method to get more qualitative information about substances, by taking high magnification images.
Many materials can be analyzed using these methods, but two are detailed in this thesis: electrospun aluminum oxide doped zinc oxide (AOZO) nanofibers and cobalt chromium molybdenum (CoCrMo) metal powder particulates. AOZO nanofibers are on the forefront of material research. XPS was utilized to discover how the amount of aluminum dopant, used in fabricating the fibers, affected the fibers…#8482; conductivity. CoCrMo is used to make prosthetic implants and the elemental structure is a significant factor in determining biocompatibility. XPS and EDS data was compared to ascertain discrepancies in composition, and how that affected biocompatibility.