PXRD Resources and Learning Centre

Video resources are hosted on Panopto and require an Oxford SSO to access.

Sample preparation:

• The default preparation, using grease to attach a thin layer of powder to a surface
• An alternative preparation, packing the powder into a recession in the sample holder
• A description of when you might want to use one method or the other

Measurement considerations:

• Choosing which instrument to use
• Choosing which angular range, step size and count time to use
• Grazing Incidence

General information:

• X-ray diffractometers and optics
• The Rigaku Smartlab diffractometer

Smartlab Studio II standard Bragg Brentano Measurements (video)

Smartlab Studio II Thin Film Parallel Beam and Grazing Incidence Measurements talk 1 (video)

Highscore Search-Match basic instructions (pdf document)

Smartlab Studio II Search Match basic instructions (pdf document)

(oxford SSO required)

This is a template for the sample position when using the X'pert or Empyrean flat plate holder. Print out on A4 at 100% scale and place under a microscope slide then outline the sample area with marker pen to align your sample correctly.

This is a tool for calculating the beam cuttoff or overspill caused by the Bruker 'knife' for a given divergence slit setting (this tool was supplied by Bruker AXS).

This is a divergence calculator for the X'pert and Empyrean that tells you the illuminated length of sample for a fixed slit at a given angle, or what the divergence slit width will be for a fixed illumination length at a given angle.

GI_geometry_calculator.xlsx

This is a calculator for working out the ideal sample width, incidence angle, or incident slit width in a grazing incidence setup.

Bruker D8

A 22mm diameter glass slide with a thin coating of LaB6 NIST660C. Diffraction pattern taken using a constant divergence slit of 0.5 degree. 2.5 degree soller slits (change extension to .xy): 

X'pert Alpha1

A panalytical silicon low background wafer coated with NIST660c LaB6. Diffraction pattern taken while spinning the sample with the standard slit settings: constant primary divergence slit of 0.5 degree, constant primary antiscatter slit of 1 degree, 10mm mask, 0.04 radian primary and secondary soller slits, a secondary antiscatter slit of 5 degrees, X'celerator detector 2.122 degree active length. (change extension to .xy)

A Borosilicate microscope slide coated with NIST640f silicon. Diffraction pattern taken in the flat bracket (without spinning) the sample with the standard slit settings: constant primary divergence slit of 0.5 degree, constant primary antiscatter slit of 1 degree, 10mm mask, 0.04 radian primary and secondary soller slits, a secondary antiscatter slit of 5 degrees, X'celerator detector 2.122 degree active length. (change extension to .xy)  

Empyrean Alpha 1

A panalytical silicon low background wafer coated with NIST660c LaB6. Diffraction pattern taken while spinning the sample with the standard slit settings: constant primary divergence slit of 0.5 degree, constant primary antiscatter slit of 1 degree, 10mm mask, 0.04 radian primary and secondary soller slits, a secondary antiscatter slit of 1 degree, Pixcel 1D detector 3.3473 degree active length. (change extension to .xy)

A Borosilicate microscope slide coated with NIST640f silicon. Diffraction pattern taken in the flat bracket (without spinning) the sample with the standard slit settings: constant primary divergence slit of 0.5 degree, constant primary antiscatter slit of 1 degree, 10mm mask, 0.04 radian primary and secondary soller slits, a secondary antiscatter slit of 1 degrees, Pixcel 1D detector 3.3473 degree active length. (change extension to .xy)