51Introduction to Nanosensors
1.18.6 X-Ray Diffraction
X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) is a rapid analytical technique primarily
used for phase identication of a crystalline material. A diffraction pat-
tern is obtained when x-rays interact with a crystalline substance (Phase).
The diffraction pattern is the distinctive pattern of light and dark fringes,
rings, etc., formed by diffraction phenomenon. It is an interference pattern
produced when a wave or a series of waves undergoes diffraction, as when
passed through a diffraction grating or the lattices of a crystal. This pattern
provides information about the frequency of the wave and the structure of
the material causing the diffraction, that is, the x-ray diffraction patter ...