We present a combined study of the electronic structure of the superconducting skutterudite derivative ${\text{SrPt}}_4{\text{Ge}}_{12}$ by means of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and full-potential band structure calculations including an analysis of the chemical bonding. We establish that the states at the Fermi level originate predominantly from the $\text{Ge}4p$ electrons and that the $\text{Pt}5d$ shell is effectively full. We find excellent agreement between the measured and the calculated valence-band spectra, thereby validating that band structure calculations in combination with photoelectron spectroscopy can provide a solid basis for the modeling of superconductivity in the compound series $M{\text{Pt}}_4{\text{Ge}}_{12}$ $\left(M=\text{Sr},\text{Ba},\text{La},\text{Pr}\right)$.

• Received 12 May 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.80.075114