Search

In materials science, traditional techniques for analyzing layered structures are essential for obtaining information about local structure, electronic properties and chemical states. While valuable, these methods often require high vacuum environments and have limited depth profiling capabilities. The grazing exit x-ray absorption near-edge structure (GE-XANES) technique addresses these limitations by providing depth-resolved insight at ambient conditions, facilitating in situ material analysis without special sample preparation. However, GE-XANES is limited by long data acquisition times, which hinders its practicality for various applications. To overcome this, we have incorporated Bayesian optimization (BO) into the GE-XANES data acquisition process. This innovative approach potentially reduces measurement time by a factor of 50. We have used a standard GE-XANES experiment, which serve as reference, to validate the effectiveness and accuracy of the BO-informed experimental setup. Our results show that this optimized approach maintains data quality while significantly improving efficiency, making GE-XANES more accessible to a wider range of materials science applications.

• Reactive sputtering technique as a powerful tool to produce Nb 2 O 5 coatings. • GE-XANES indicated the formation of a homogeneous layer of Nb 2 O 5 thin films. • The surface treatment increased the surface hardness of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy. This research group has been demonstrating the significant advantages of using Nb 2 O 5 coatings for functionalizing titanium, aluminium, and stainless steels. Regarding the biomedical sector and considering Ti-6Al-4V alloy, the reactive sputtering technique improved the cell viability, the osteogenic performance of cells involved in the osseointegration process as well as the ability to delay bacterial proliferation. The characteristics of the Nb 2 O 5 coatings were assessed before by using standard methods, which provide information only a few tens of nanometers depth. Given that the Nb 2 O 5 coating fabricated in this work exhibits a thickness of approximately 300 nm, the GE-XANES technique emerges as the most suitable method for this analysis. Additional information was provided with the aid of nanoindentation load-depth (P-h) curves. GE-XANES results indicated the formation of a homogeneous layer of Nb 2 O 5 coating on the Ti-6Al-4V surfaces. The deposition process improved the surface hardness of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy (4.38 GPa versus 5.62 GPa) considering the 2 mN load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]