About the service
X-Ray Diffractometry (XRD) is a powerful, non-destructive technique capable of providing structural characterization of natural and synthetic solids including powders, thin films, single- and poly-crystals. The X-ray Diffraction Laboratory provides a broad variety of measurement techniques that use a combination of modern XRD software and hardware. Together these permit almost all types of structural characterizations of polycrystalline solids that can be realized under laboratory conditions. They include the following:
- Qualitative and quantitative phase analysis (including evaluation of the degree of crystallinity);
- Lattice parameter evaluation;
- Determination of microstrain and evaluation of crystallite size;
- Crystal structure refinement by the Rietveld method;
- Texture determination using pole figure mapping;
- Residual stress measurement;
- Thin film reflectivity;
- High-resolution measurements using a Ge (220) channel-cut monochromator;
- Capillary sample holders for use with materials that require a controlled environment and/or materials with severe preferential orientation on flat plate sample holders;
- Measurements in the low and medium temperature range (from -180° to 300°C);
- Measurements under vacuum (10-3mbar) or in a specified gas atmosphere monitored by a residual gas analyzer (RGA 100, Stanford Research Systems, Inc.)
