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Powder X–ray diffraction has a variety of uses ranging from the identification of compounds and impurities to the estimation of the concentration of compounds in a mixture.
Here are a few of the particular applications that the X–ray Analysis Facility has experience in:
- Extraction and identification of clays;
- Identification of corrosion products;
- Retained austenite in steels;
- Ratio of polymorphs in pharmaceuticals;
- Identification of minerals in mixtures (rocks);
- Quantitative analysis of clays and minerals in sandstones, and finally;
- Thin film and parallel beam analysis.
Powder X–ray diffraction is one of the standard methods of identifying the compounds present in a sample (Raman and Infra–red spectrometry are alternative techniques). Powder XRD had the advantage that it detects the arrangement of the atoms and molecules in the crystal lattice rather that the bonding that is determined by Raman or IR spectrometry. The chemical and physical properties of a compound are a function of the arrangement of the atoms (i.e. the lattice). Most inorganic and organic are crystalline (i.e. have a regular arrangement of atoms extending over an appreciable volume of space). Samples that are not crystalline are called non–crystalline or amorphous. Powder x–ray diffraction is not suitable for identifying amorphous compounds.
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