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X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS) are strong candidate techniques for characterizing steel surfaces and substrate-coating interfaces when investigating the selective oxidation and reactive wetting of advanced high strength steels (AHSS) during the continuous galvanizing process. However, unambiguous identification of ternary oxides such as Mn₂SiO₄, MnSiO₃, and MnAl₂O₄ by XPS or EELS, which can play a significant role in substrate reactive wetting, is difficult due to the lack of fully characterized standards in the literature. To resolve this issue, samples of Mn₂SiO₄, MnSiO₃ and MnAl₂O₄ were synthesized and characterized by XPS and EELS. The unique features of the XPS and EELS spectra for the Mn₂SiO₄, MnSiO₃ and MnAl₂O₄ standards were successfully derived, thereby allowing investigators to fully differentiate and identify these oxides at the …