Crystallographic-orientation dependence of the early-stage oxidation of Zr single crystals: an XPS study of suboxide formation and in-depth distribution

The influence of crystallographic orientation on the early stages of the oxidation of pure Zr single crystals was studied by X ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Two samples, cut from the same a-Zr single crystal, were oxidized simultaneously at room temperature and O2 pressures of 1 X 10-8, 1 X