XPS/ESCA on glass surfaces: A useful tool for ancient and modern materials

In the field of glass science and technology, as well as for historical glasses, a remarkable importance is devoted to the understanding of the interaction between the glass surfaces and the surrounding environment. Glass fabrication and preservation are very important issues in several research fields, involving both industrial and scientific problems. In general, a multi-technique approach should be used in order to achieve a better understanding of the complex phenomena involving reactions among glass surface atoms and environmental ones. In this frame, one of the most promising investigation technique is the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XPS (also known as electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis, ESCA) mainly because of its ability to give information about the chemical bonds of the investigated atoms. In this paper the first part is devoted to the description of the basics of the technique, while in the second part several applications to the analysis of oxide glass surfaces are reported and discussed. The aim of this paper is to provide valuable help to all those who want to start or deepen the study of glass surfaces by this technique.