X-Ray Diffraction (XRD)

X-ray Diffraction (XRD) is a powerful non-destructive technique for characterizing crystalline materials. It provides information on structures, phases, preferred crystal orientations (texture) and other structural parameters such as average grain size, crystallinity, strain and crystal defects. X-ray diffraction peaks are produced by constructive interference of monochromatic beam scattered from each set of lattice planes at specific angles. The peak intensities are determined by the atomic decoration within the lattice planes. Consequently, the X-ray diffraction pattern is the fingerprint of periodic atomic arrangements in a given material. An on-line search of a standard database for X-ray powder diffraction pattern enables quick phase identification for a large variety of crystalline samples.