Lecture XRD
Lecture XRD
Noble
prize
1915!
θ
dhkl
x
2d hkl sin( ) n
Bragg’s law tells you at which angle θB to expect maximum
diffracted intensity for a particular family of crystal planes.
For large crystals, all other angles give zero intensity.
The powder diffractometers typically use
the Bragg-Brentano geometry
Detector
X-ray
tube
w q 2q
• The incident angle, w, is defined between the X-ray source and the sample.
• The diffracted angle, 2q, is defined between the incident beam and the detector angle.
• The incident angle w is always ½ of the detector angle 2q .
• In a q:2q instrument (e.g. Rigaku RU300), the tube is fixed, the sample rotates at q °/min
and the detector rotates at 2q °/min.
• In a q:q instrument (e.g. PANalytical X’Pert Pro), the sample is fixed and the tube rotates
at a rate -q °/min and the detector rotates at a rate of q °/min.
A single crystal specimen in a Bragg-Brentano diffractometer
would produce only one family of peaks in the diffraction
pattern.
2q
At 20.6 °2q, Bragg’s law The (110) planes would diffract at 29.3 The (200) planes are parallel to the (100)
fulfilled for the (100) planes, °2q; however, they are not properly planes. Therefore, they also diffract for this
producing a diffraction peak. aligned to produce a diffraction peak crystal. Since d200 is ½ d100, they appear at
(the perpendicular to those planes 42 °2q.
does not bisect the incident and
diffracted beams). Only background is
observed.
A polycrystalline sample should contain thousands of
crystallites. Therefore, all possible diffraction peaks should
be observed.
2q 2q 2q
• For every set of planes, there will be a small percentage of crystallites that are properly
oriented to diffract (the plane perpendicular bisects the incident and diffracted beams).
• Basic assumptions of powder diffraction are that for every set of planes there is an equal
number of crystallites that will diffract and that there is a statistically relevant number of
crystallites, not just one or two.
Example: Diffraction Patterns
• Each peak represents the solution to Bragg’s law for known radiation
wavelength (l = 0.154nm)
• The unique relationship between such patterns and crystal structures
provide a powerful tool for identification of the phase composition of
powders and polycrystalline materials.
Basis and Bravais Structure Factor Terms
Np Nb
F e2 igrn fm e2 igrm FBR FBA
n1 m 1
The following simple table giving the integer values of F BR for the different types of centering
translations. Keep in mind that these are valid for any crystal system.
Centering type Missing Reflections Possible Reflections Bravais Term FBR for
(F BR = 0) (F BR ° 0) possible reflections
P (primitive) None All 1
I (body-centered) (h + k + l) odd (h + k + l) even 2
A (base-centered on A (k + l) odd (k + l) even 2
face)
B (base-centered on B (h + l) odd (h + l) even 2
face)
C (base-centered on C (h + k) odd (h + k) even 2
face)
F (face-centered) hkl mixed hkl unmixed 4
Summary