X-ray Powder Diffraction

The X-ray diffraction unit consists of two diffractometers.

X-ray Diffraction Spectrometry studies materials through the deflections that a monochromatic beam of X-rays undergoes when it strikes them. The deflection angles are closely related to the distance between the planes of the material’s crystal lattice. Therefore, the diffraction pattern of a substance is characteristic of the arrangement or ordering of the atoms that compose it.

This technique provides a convenient and practical method for the qualitative identification of crystalline compounds.

The intensity of the diffraction lines is a function of the concentration of the substance, making quantitative analysis feasible.

The main advantage of diffraction analysis is that, being a non-destructive method, it distinguishes compounds or atomic groups, not individual atoms, which provides data that would be difficult or impossible to obtain by other methods. It allows the analysis of a wide range of materials such as metals, minerals, polymers, catalysts, plastics, pharmaceuticals, thin film coatings, ceramics and semiconductors. The fundamental application of X-ray diffraction is the qualitative identification of the mineralogical composition of a crystalline sample.

The measurement modes available in the service are:

• Mode theta-2 theta
• Grazing angle mode