Compromising Science by Ignorant Instrument Calibration—Need to Revisit Half a Century of Published XPS Data

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is an indispensable technique in modern materials science for the determination of chemical bonding as evidenced by more than 10 000 XPS papers published annually. A literature survey reveals that in the vast majority of cases an incorrect referencing of the binding energy scale is used, neglecting warnings that have been formulated from the early days of the technique. Consequences for the data reliability are disastrous and decades of XPS work require revisiting. The purpose of this Viewpoint is to highlight the existing problems, review the criticism and suggest ways forward.