X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is among the most powerful techniques to analyse structures of nitrogen-doped carbon materials. However, reported assignments of (1) graphitic nitrogen (N)/substitutional N, quaternary N (Q–N), or tertiary amine (T–N) and (2) pyrrolic N/secondary amine or T–N are questionable. Most reports assign peaks at ca. 401 eV as Q–N or graphitic N, whereas raw materials in most of those works contain neither counter anion nor halogen. Besides, the peak at ca. 400 eV has been assigned as pyrrolic N, but the presence of N–H is generally not confirmed. In this work, it was clarified that one of the reasons for the prevailing ambiguous assignments is the presence of N in heptagonal and pentagonal rings. The peaks at 400.1–401.2 eV were determined to be T–N, but not Q–N by analyzing graphitized polyimide (with the oxygen content of 0.01 at% or lower and the hydrogen content of 0 at%) using Raman spectroscopy, XPS, X-ray diffraction, total neutron scattering, elemental analysis, and molecular dynamics simulation. Besides, it was revealed that the peak at 400.1 eV originated from T–N on 5-membered rings or 7- and 5-membered rings, but not pyrrolic N because graphite including no hydrogen was used for analysis.

Graphical abstract