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Chemical layering during CO/H2 reduction of iron oxides revealed by APXPS and multiscale characterization

Wang, Yuzhao ; Ghosalya, Manoj Kumar ; Azadi, Saeid Khesali ; Soodmand, Ahmadreza Mohammadian ; Chuproski, Rafael Fillus ; Kokkonen, Esko LU orcid ; Klyushin, Alexander LU ; Heidari, Aidin ; Huttula, Marko and Fabritius, Timo , et al. (2026) In Scripta Materialia 285.
Abstract

Although the reduction of iron oxides has been widely studied using bulk characterization techniques, direct observations of surface chemical states under reaction conditions remain limited. Here, the reduction behavior of iron oxides in a CO/H2 atmosphere is investigated using ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) combined with ex situ microstructural characterization. APXPS reveals that the outermost surface remains dominated by a FeO layer under reducing conditions, while complementary microscopy shows the formation of metallic Fe beneath the surface together with localized Fe3C. Diffraction measurements further indicate that oxide phases dominate the bulk. Together, these results reveal a... (More)

Although the reduction of iron oxides has been widely studied using bulk characterization techniques, direct observations of surface chemical states under reaction conditions remain limited. Here, the reduction behavior of iron oxides in a CO/H2 atmosphere is investigated using ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) combined with ex situ microstructural characterization. APXPS reveals that the outermost surface remains dominated by a FeO layer under reducing conditions, while complementary microscopy shows the formation of metallic Fe beneath the surface together with localized Fe3C. Diffraction measurements further indicate that oxide phases dominate the bulk. Together, these results reveal a chemically layered structure during iron oxide reduction and provide new insight into the surface chemistry and reaction pathways of metallurgical reduction processes.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Apxps, Carburization, Chemical layering, Iron oxide reduction
in
Scripta Materialia
volume
285
article number
117530
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:105047150766
ISSN
1359-6462
DOI
10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117530
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
7e2894e7-ebd2-4553-9b15-6ab328a6c8a1
date added to LUP
2026-10-01 15:35:06
date last changed
2026-10-02 10:25:16
@article{7e2894e7-ebd2-4553-9b15-6ab328a6c8a1,
  abstract     = {{<p>Although the reduction of iron oxides has been widely studied using bulk characterization techniques, direct observations of surface chemical states under reaction conditions remain limited. Here, the reduction behavior of iron oxides in a CO/H<sub>2</sub> atmosphere is investigated using ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) combined with ex situ microstructural characterization. APXPS reveals that the outermost surface remains dominated by a FeO layer under reducing conditions, while complementary microscopy shows the formation of metallic Fe beneath the surface together with localized Fe<sub>3</sub>C. Diffraction measurements further indicate that oxide phases dominate the bulk. Together, these results reveal a chemically layered structure during iron oxide reduction and provide new insight into the surface chemistry and reaction pathways of metallurgical reduction processes.</p>}},
  author       = {{Wang, Yuzhao and Ghosalya, Manoj Kumar and Azadi, Saeid Khesali and Soodmand, Ahmadreza Mohammadian and Chuproski, Rafael Fillus and Kokkonen, Esko and Klyushin, Alexander and Heidari, Aidin and Huttula, Marko and Fabritius, Timo and Urpelainen, Samuli}},
  issn         = {{1359-6462}},
  keywords     = {{Apxps; Carburization; Chemical layering; Iron oxide reduction}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{12}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Scripta Materialia}},
  title        = {{Chemical layering during CO/H<sub>2</sub> reduction of iron oxides revealed by APXPS and multiscale characterization}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117530}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.scriptamat.2026.117530}},
  volume       = {{285}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}