The kieserite-type solid-solution series of synthetic (Cu,Mg)SO4·H2O was investigated by TG-analysis and X-ray powder diffraction using the Rietveld method. Representatives with Cu≥20 mol% are triclinic distorted () analogous to the poitevinite (Cu,Fe)SO4·H2O compounds. Cation site ordering with preference of Cu for the more distorted M1 site was additionally proven by the structure refinement.

Precise X-ray powder diffraction patterns for the tetragonal form of Li3B5O8(OH)2 were obtained using a Huber camera; photographs were taken at 22 °C with CuKα1 radiation (λ =1.5406 Å) and with Si as internal standard (a = 5.4308 Å). Refinements of indexed reflections yielded the following parameters: a = 6.8455(4)Å, c = 14.551(1)Å, space group P41212, Z = 4, Dx = 2.31, and Dm = 2.28 g/cm3. The Smith–Snyder figure of merit of F30 = 97(O.OO7,45) compares to that of F30 = 2.6(0.206,57) reported for the existing pattern in the Powder Diffraction File (34-1070).

The crystal structure of the mineral strontiodresserite, (Sr,Ca)Al2(CO3)2(OH)4⋅H2O, from the Francon Quarry, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, has been solved from laboratory powder diffraction data using a combination of charge-flipping and simulated annealing methods. The structure is orthorhombic in space group Pnma with a=16.0990(7), b=5.6133(3), and c=9.1804(4) Å (Z=4) and the framework of the mineral is isostructural with that of dundasite. The strontium has a coordination number of 9 and the carbonate anions form a bridge between the SrO9 polyhedra and AlO6 octahedra. The water molecule lies in a channel that runs parallel to the b axis. An ordered network of hydrogen atoms could be uniquely determined from crystal-chemical principles in the channels of strontiodresserite. Ab initio density functional theory (DFT) energy minimization of the whole structure gave results in full agreement with X-ray refinement results for nonhydrogen atoms. The stability of this model (as well as that of the corresponding model of dundasite) in the proposed Pnma space group was tested by DFT optimization in space group P1 of random small distortions of this structure. This test confirms that both minerals are isostructural, including their hydrogen-bond networks.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) certifies a suite of Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) to address specific aspects of the performance of X-ray powder diffraction instruments. This report describes SRM 1976b, the third generation of this powder diffraction SRM. SRM 1976b consists of a sintered alumina disc, approximately 25.6 mm in diameter by 2.2 mm in thickness, intended for use in the calibration of X-ray powder diffraction equipment with respect to line position and intensity as a function of 2θ-angle. The sintered form of the SRM eliminates the effect of sample loading procedures on intensity measurements. Certified data include the lattice parameters and relative peak intensity values from 13 lines in the 2θ region between 20° and 145° using CuKα radiation. A NIST-built diffractometer, incorporating many advanced and unique design features was used to make the certification measurements.

Nanocrystalline boehmite (gamma-aluminium-oxyhydroxide) is a material of industrial importance, the functionality of which follows from its crystalline microstructure. A procedure for preparing boehmite nanoparticles, comprising the formation of a precipitate by the alkalization of an aqueous solution of aluminium nitrate and subsequent hydrothermal aging, was previously elaborated. The application of an additive (maltitol or tartaric acid) to control the sizes and shapes of crystallites in the produced polycrystalline powder of boehmite was developed. The aim of this work is a study of the effect of the hydrothermal treatment time on nanocrystalline characteristics of boehmite, both in absence and in presence of the additive. The obtained materials were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) as principal technique and additionally by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The multi-peak analysis of powder XRD patterns was applied to determine the prevalent crystallite shape, volume-weighted crystallite size distribution, and second-order crystalline lattice strain distribution being principal quantitative characteristics of the crystalline microstructure. Based on these characteristics, three types of the microstructure correlated with the production procedures were observed and discussed in detail. The nanoparticles of boehmites were found to be monocrystalline grains with characteristic habits and sizes of order of ten nanometers weakly dependent on the hydrothermal treatment time.

We conducted in-situ high-temperature neutron and X-ray diffraction studies on tetragonal PbTiO3. Using a combination of Rietveld analysis and Maximum Entropy Method, the nuclear and charge density distributions were determined as a function of temperature up to 460 °C. The ionic states obtained from charge density distributions reveal that the covalency of Pb–O2 bonds gradually weakens with increasing temperature. The spontaneous polarizations calculated from the contributions of ionic state, ionic displacement, and nuclear polarization, are in good agreement with the experimental measurements. This method provides an effective approach to determine spontaneous polarizations in multiferroics with high-current leakage and low resistance.

Dioctahedral smectites are clay minerals that widely used as a crucial component for the edifice of natural barriers in industrial wastes and wastewater treatment. The hydration behaviours of these mineral types are very sensitive by environmental surroundings changes. The present work focuses the evolution of the interlayer water amount as a function of the relative humidity rates (RH), varied along a humidifying-drying cycle, in the case of two dioctahedral smectites with different charge location (i.e. Wyoming montmorillonite SWy-2 and Beidellite SbId-1). The CEC (i.e. cation exchange capacity) of the studied sample is saturated by two monovalent cations (i.e., Cs+ and Na+) characterized by a different ionic radius. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) profile modelling tools based on the indirect method that consist on the comparison of experimental 00l reflections with other calculated from structural models is used to perform these aims. The qualitative XRD profile investigation suggests heterogeneous hydration behaviour at different stage of the cycle for all studied samples. The water content fluctuation, confirmed by the appearance of a hydration hysteresis, within the interlamellar space of diverse complexes is an irreversible process during the shrinking–rewetting sequence. Comparing to Na+ cations, the presence of the Cs+ ions in exchangeable sites of both smectite structures is accompanied by more orderliness of systems, which retunes the lowest water molecules amount over the applied cycle.

The grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) method was employed to analyze two-layer thin films, which were the samples of Å lOO Å Au/500Å Cu/Si02 (substrate) and 250Å Cu/500Å Au/SiO2(substrate), which were prepared by the evaporation technique under the condition that the SiO2 substrate was at room temperature. Diffraction profiles were obtained at various glancing angles ( α ) and the data were analyzed as a function of α. The results were as follows : 1) Diffraction peaks were shifted to larger diffraction angles, because of the refraction of the incident X-ray beam. The angular shift has been approximated by the equation, α - α2- αc2)1/2, where αc is the total ref reflection critical angle of the material. 2) As a result of the correction of angular shift, the stress of the evaporated films was estimated to be null. 3) The broadening of the Cu diffraction peak and the enhancement of the Cu diffraction intensity occurred at angles near αc of Cu, due to the reflection of the X-ray beam at the Cu/Au interface.

Two methods of obtaining polarized x-rays for fluorescence experiments are discussed. Compton scattering from a low-Z scatterer is the usual method used in such experiments. The polarization of x-rays undergoing anomalous Borrmann transmission in a dislocation-free crystal is also described and preliminary results are presented. Approximate expressions, useful for comparing scatter-polarizing systems, are derived for the dependence of scatter rejection and fluorescent efficiency on two scattering-system parameters: the thickness of the scattering polarizer and the geometric limit to solid angles and angular divergences in the system.

In most routine chemical analyses, a trade-off is made between quality of data and time required to obtain and analyze the data.In X-ray powder diffraction, identifications are normally made by Debye-Scherrer film methods or by medium speed (1-2°20/min.) diffractometry, with or without an internal standard. With one notable exception, the inherent precision of the Guinier camera geometry has been virtually ignored as too expensive or time consuming for routine work, or relegated to special projects. The accessibility of microcomputers, however, not only makes it economically and realistically feasible to automate the equipment previously used for special Guinier projects, but to extend the overall precision of observed d-spacings into the area of routine analysis. Search-match procedures benefit from the increased data precision to such an extent that they can be used routinely to propose the identity of major pure phases and release the analyst to concentrate on minor components and impure phases which may be subject to lattice constant shifts.

With the development of soft X-ray sources by Henke, it is now possible to extend the range of quantitative analyses by X-ray spectrometry into the very light element range (magnesium through, boron). Techniques of specimen preparation, recognized as one of the most critical aspects of quantitative X-ray analysis in the heavier elemental ranges, present new problems, especially with the physically and chemically heterogeneous materials encountered in mineral and rock analysis. This paper presents the results of new tests extended into the light and very light element range. It is shown that most of the problems previously found are intensified as lower atomic number elements are considered; conditions of the specimen surface are critical and require precise control of particle size. In addition, significant absorption by relatively heavier elemental constituents, either in a separate phase or within the same phase, causes poor precision and is difficult to predict. Thus, the combination of matrix absorption within and between discrete phases, combined with the difficulty of grinding different phases to a uniform particle size, suggests that fusion techniques are required for hest precision. Without fusion, both scatter and bias are introduced through non-linear calibrations, with each calibration dependent upon specimen composition and particle size. It is concluded that only with nearly uniform specimens, where gross deviations are to be checked (e.g., process control) can ground rock powders be used with success in light element analyses.

The principles of measuring surface stresses in metals by X-ray diffraction with commercially available equipment are well known. Two techniques of making stress measurement by X-ray diffraction now in general use are (1) X-ray diffractometer with electronic control panel and (2) back-reflection film camera.

The X-ray diffractometer technique has a number of important advantages over the film method, the major ones being accuracy and speed, but serious size and shape limitations are imposed on the specimen by the equipment: Because of its bulk and weight, specimens must be brought to it. The Airplane Division of The Boeing Company has capitalized on the advantages offered by the mobile backreflection film technique, especially with regard to specimen sizes and shapes. Results and techniques used, at Boeing for stress measurements in alloys of aluminum, titanium, and steel are presented. Experimental difficulties are discussed, and comparisons are made between results from the dirfractometer and backreflection camera, A portable darkroom and electropolishing unit are also presented which, with the X-ray unit, comprise a completely mobile stress-measuring facility.

Analyses performed have been to determine the feasibility of using pyrolytic graphite (PG) as an X-ray analyzing crystal. Pyrolytic graphite is formed by the pyrolysis of a hydrocarbon, which yields a hexagonal structure graphite with a high degree of anisotropy. After annealing, the anisotropic properties are enhanced even more. For most applications, the intensity and resolution are not as good as with, the best analyzing crystals; however, the extreme durability of pyrolytic graphite makes it a feasible X-ray analyzing crystal.

A series of phase transformations of a novel fluoroaluminosilicate glass forming a range of fluorapatite glass-ceramics on sintering are reported. The sintering process induces formation of fluorapatite, mullite, and anorthite phases within the amorphous silicate matrices of the glass-ceramics. The fluoroaluminosilicate glass, SiO2–Al2O3–P2O5–CaO–CaF2, is prepared from waste materials, such as rice husk ash, pacific oyster shells, and disposable aluminium cans. The thermally induced crystallographic and microstructure evolution of the fluoroaluminosilicate glass towards the fluorapatite glass-ceramics, with applications in dental and bone restoration, are investigated by powder X-ray diffraction and small-angle neutron-scattering techniques.

Numerous methods are available to forensic scientists for detecting fingerprints in which the prints are treated with various agents to enhance the visual contrast between the print and the surface. In the present work, the spatial elemental imaging capabilities of micro-X-ray fluorescence (MXRF) were used to visualize fingerprint patterns based on inorganic elements present in the prints. A major advantage of using MXRF is that the prints are left unaltered for other analyses, such as deoxyribonucleic acid extraction or for archiving. Most of the fingerprints which were examined were imaged from the potassium and chlorine present in the print residue. Among the various prints studied, lower count rates were also observed in the elemental maps of Ca, Al, Na, Mg, Si, P, S, and the X-ray source scatter. A sebaceous oily fingerprint left by one subject was successfully imaged by MXRF, but sebaceous prints left by a different person were undetectable, indicating that print elemental composition may be person and/or diet dependent. Prints containing substances that might be found in real-world cases were also visualized including sweat, lotion, saliva, and sunscreen.

Improved powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) data for franzinite, the ten-layer member of the cancrinite group of minerals, were obtained using an automated parallel-beam powder diffractometer with a capillary mount. The cell parameters of franzinite were found to be a=12.8976(3) Å, c=26.5040(8) Å, V=3818.2(2) Å3 in space group P321, while the strongest reflections were at 3.725(100), 3.809(65), 3.562(56), 3.586(55), 2.662(42), 2.150(31) and 3.302(30) Å. The new results include an increased number of indexed peaks, improved figures-of-merit with respect to PDF 30-1170 and intensities validated by Rietveld refinement.

Using a standard laboratory X-ray powder diffractometer under very stable environmental conditions, it has been found that measurements of the positions and heights of sharp diffraction maxima can be made with a precision of order 2 × 10 −4° in 2θ and 0.1% in height (for ∼ 2 × 105 counts per point at the peak). Under normal conditions, however, displacements of order 0.02° in 2θ and 3% in height are observed. These shifts have been attributed to changes in the diffraction geometry, in particular the sourcedivergence slit configuration, brought about by changes in ambient temperature and by changes in the temperature of the liquid used to cool the X-ray tube.

The X-ray Rietveld refinement technique was used to determine the structure and prepare X-ray powder reference patterns for the phases R2Cu9Ti12O36 (R=Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho, Y, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu). R2Cu9Ti12O36 belongs to the perovskite-related [AC3](B4)O12 family of structures, which are cubic with space group Im3. The lattice parameters of the R2Cu9Ti12O36 series range from a=7.377 57(2) Å, V=401.550(3) Å3 for R=Lu to a=7.399 87(3) Å, and V=405.202(4) Å3 for R=Nd. The trend of these lattice parameters parallels the “lanthanide contraction.” In the structure, R occupies the larger icosahedral A site of the ideal ABO3 perovskite structure, while Ti occupies the distorted octahedral B site. The Jahn-Teller cation Cu occupies the C site. The twelve oxygens surrounding Cu are arranged as three mutually perpendicular rectangles of different size. The smallest and largest rectangles are nearly squares. One-third of the R site is vacant, and the chemical formula can be written as [R2∕3X1∕3Cu3](Ti4)O12, where X=vacancy. The X-ray powder patterns of R2Cu2Ti12O36 have been submitted to ICDD for inclusion in the Powder Diffraction File (PDF).

New compounds Li6MB3O9 (M=Nd,Sm,Eu,Tm,Er) were synthesized by solid-state reaction. The crystal structure of Li6NdB3O9 was analyzed from both powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction data. The results obtained by powder diffraction analysis and Rietveld refinement are a=7.2725(4) Å, b=16.6398(9) Å, c=6.7529(5) Å, β=105.398(8)°, and space group P21/c, which agree with the results obtained by single crystal diffraction analysis: a=7.2712(4) Å, b=16.6268(9) Å, c=6.7484(4) Å, β=105.411(1)°, and space group P21/c. This compound is isostructural with Li6YB3O9. Single crystal structure analysis showed that the fundamental building unit of these isostructural compounds comprises three isolated [BO3]3− triangles, one distorted [NdO8]13− triangulated dodecahedron, four distorted [LiO5]9− five-coordinated polyhedra, and two [LiO4]7− tetrahedron. An analysis of the infrared spectrum of Li6NdB3O9 confirmed the presence of isolated [BO3]3− triangles in Li6NdB3O9. The remaining four Li6MB3O9 (M=Nd, Sm, Eu, Tm, and Er) compounds were found to be isostructural with Li6NdB3O9. Their unit cell dimensions decrease with an increase in the atomic number of the rare-earth atoms. DTA and TGA measurements of Li6MB3O9 (M=Nd, Sm, Eu, Tm, and Er) revealed that these borates congruently melt from 800 °C to 860 °C.

Powder diffraction data and refined unit cell parameters of two palladium borides were determined. For Pd3B (space group Pnma; Fe3C type) it was found that a=0.54602(3) nm, b=0.75596(4) nm, c=0.48417(4) nm and for Pd5B2 (space group C2/c; Mn5C2 type) a=1.27759(12) nm, b=0.49497(5) nm, c=0.54704(4) nm, β=97.049(7)°. Further, it was shown that the position of the principal scattering peak of the amorphous Pd2B fulfils the Nagel–Tauc criterion about glass forming ability.