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The characterization of carbon fibres by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depends on several experimental and theoretical aspects that noticeably improve the accuracy of the analysis when properly taken into account. These aspects are briefly discussed in the light of the most representative literature available. Attention is focused on points that need a deeper understanding and suggestions are given about possible analysis strategies.

The potential of a new procedure for the quantitative analysis of ESCA spectra was exploited by determining the composition of powder mixtures of some chromium compounds. The quantitative separation of the overlapped Cr 2p peak doublets was accomplished by the Kalman filter algorithm. Background removal from the spectra was carried out by a new approach employing the cubic splines as smooth interpolators between the peak valleys. The results of the analyses compared well with those obtained by factor analysis (typical errors were ±4%). However, the Kalman filter operating recursively on the data points of the spectrum is preferable when the analysis is limited to only one mixture plus standards. Cubic spline interpolation was as effective as the Shirley method in yielding quantitative background subtraction.