Tutorial on Powder X-ray Diffraction for Characterizing Nanoscale Materials
Abstract
Characterizing Nanoscale Materials Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a common characterization technique for nanoscale materials. Analysis of a sample by powder XRD provides important information that is complementary to various microscopic and spectroscopic methods, such as phase identification, sample purity, crystallite size, and, in some cases, morphology. As a bulk technique, the information it provides can be correlated with microscopy data to test if microscopic observations on a small number of particles are representative of the majority of the sample. Despite its importance and ubiquity, the information contained in powder XRD data for nanoscale materials is not always fully harnessed, and in some cases, it is misinterpreted. This Editorial aims to provide the broad nanoscience and nanotechnology communities with a brief tutorial on some of the key aspects of powder XRD data that are often encountered when analyzing samples of nanoscale materials, with an emphasis on inorganic nanoparticles of various sizes, shapes, and dimensionalities. In this way, researchers across many fields, including those who are new to powder XRD or for whom it is not a mainstream technique, can be familiar with key diagnostic features and be better equipped to interpret them in the context of their samples. Readers who wish to learn about powder XRD in more depth and with greater rigorincluding the theory, experimental setup, data acquisition protocols, and analysisare referred to more…
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