X-Ray diffraction

Supervisor : Chiara Zanelli

The activity concerns  the mineralogy and crystallography fields, mainly through the use of the powder diffraction with the Rietveld method, by using X ray conventional source. The research activity is devoted to the following studies:
– Identification of the mineralogical phases in multiphase systems.
– Characterization of ceramic raw materials (clays, feldspars, sands, etc), natural and artificial stones from cultural heritage and the synthesis products.
– Quantitative and structural phase analysis (Rietveld method).
– Determination of the main microstructural properties in multiphases systems (crystallite dimensions, residual strain, etc).
– Determination of the crystal structure parameters.
– Analysis of the nanocrystalline powders.
– Study of the transformation and transition phases at high temperature (hot chamber  device up to 1500°C).

Instrument configuration

X-Ray powder diffractometer Bruker D8 Advance – Theta –Theta goniometer (vertical) – X-ray source by CuK radiation – Bragg Brentano parafocusing geometry
Sample holder simple and multiple with automatic change for 9 positions (equipped with spinner) – Detector LynxEye – Software TOPAS 4-2/5 for data elaboration

High temperature device (MRI BASIC HTK 16N), maximum temperature 1500°C, sample holder in Ptl20%Rh.