Crystal structures of (Li0.925Eu3+0.025)TaO3, (Li0.968Eu3+0.032)(Ta0.81Ti0.19)O2.937, (Li0.967Sm3+0.033)(Ta0.89Ti0.11)O2.978, and (Li0.950Sm3+0.033Mg0.017)(Ta0.89Ti0.11)O2.987 were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction. The initial structural parameters, taken from those of the isomorphous compound (Li0.977Eu3+0.023)(Ta0.89Ti0.11)O2.968 (space group R3c and Z = 6), were refined by the Rietveld method. A pattern-fitting method based on the maximum-entropy method was subsequently used to determine the three-dimensional electron-density distributions (EDDs) that are free from the structural bias. We confirmed that the EDDs are in accord with the resulting structural models, each of which was composed of the [(Ta, Ti)O6] octahedron and [(Li, Eu, Sm, Mg)O12] polyhedron. We compared these polyhedra and found that the prominent difference among these compounds was the centroid-to-(Li, Eu, Sm, Mg) distance (eccentricity) of [(Li, Eu, Sm, Mg)O12]. The high correlation was demonstrated between the magnitude of eccentricity and photoluminescence intensity under near ultraviolet excitation.

Cu-paddle-wheel-based Cu3(BTC)2 (nicknamed Cu-BTC, where BTC ≡ benzene 1,3,5-tricarboxylate) is a metal organic framework (MOF) compound that adopts a zeolite-like topology. We have determined the pore-size distribution using the Gelb and Gubbins technique, the microstructure using small-angle neutron scattering and (ultra) small-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS\SAXS) techniques, and X-ray powder diffraction reference patterns for both dehydrated d-Cu-BTC [Cu3(C9H3O6)2] and hydrated h-Cu-BTC [Cu3(C9H3O6)2(H2O)6.96] using the Rietveld refinement technique. Both samples were confirmed to be cubic Fm$\bar 3$m (no. 225), with lattice parameters of a = 26.279 19(3) Å, V = 18 148.31(6) Å3 for d-Cu-BTC, and a = 26.3103(11) Å, and V = 18 213(2) Å3 for h-Cu-BTC. The structure of d-Cu-BTC contains three main pores of which the diameters are approximately, in decreasing order, 12.6, 10.6, and 5.0 Å. The free volume for d-Cu-BTC is approximately (71.85 ± 0.05)% of the total volume and is reduced to approximately (61.33 ± 0.03)% for the h-Cu-BTC structure. The d-Cu-BTC phase undergoes microstructural changes when exposed to moisture in air. The reference X-ray powder patterns for these two materials have been determined for inclusion in the Powder Diffraction File.

ID11 is a multi-purpose high-energy beamline at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF). Owing to the high-energy X-ray source (up to 140 keV) and flexible, high-precision sample mounting which allows small sample–detector distances to be achieved, experiments such as total scattering in transmission geometry are possible. This permits the exploration of a wide Q range and so provides high real-space resolution. A range of samples (glasses and crystalline powders) have been measured at 78 keV, first putting the detector as close as possible to the sample (~10 cm), and then moving it vertically and laterally with respect to the beam in order to have circular and quarter circle sections of diffraction rings, with consequent QMAX at the edge of the detector of about 16 and 28 Å−1, respectively. Data were integrated using FIT2D, and then normalized and corrected with PDFgetX3. Results have been compared to see the effects of Q-range and counting statistics on the atomic pair distribution functions of the different samples. A Q of at least 20 Å−1 was essential to have sufficient real-space resolution for both type of samples while statistics appeared more important for glass samples rather than for crystalline samples.

The crystal structure of ziprasidone hydrochloride monohydrate has been solved and refined using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data, and optimized using density functional techniques. Ziprasidone hydrochloride monohydrate crystallizes in space group P-1 (#2) with a = 7.250 10(3), b = 10.986 66(8), c = 14.071 87(14) Å, α = 83.4310(4), β = 80.5931(6), γ = 87.1437(6)°, V = 1098.00(1) Å3, and Z = 2. The ziprasidone conformation in the solid state is very close to the minimum energy conformation. The positively-charged nitrogen in the ziprasidone makes a strong hydrogen bond with the chloride anion. The water molecule makes two weaker bonds to the chloride, and acts as an acceptor in an N–H⋯O hydrogen bond. The powder pattern is included in the Powder Diffraction File™ as entry 00-064-1492.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) certifies a suite of Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) to address specific aspects of the performance of X-ray powder diffraction instruments. This report describes SRM 1976b, the third generation of this powder diffraction SRM. SRM 1976b consists of a sintered alumina disc, approximately 25.6 mm in diameter by 2.2 mm in thickness, intended for use in the calibration of X-ray powder diffraction equipment with respect to line position and intensity as a function of 2θ-angle. The sintered form of the SRM eliminates the effect of sample loading procedures on intensity measurements. Certified data include the lattice parameters and relative peak intensity values from 13 lines in the 2θ region between 20° and 145° using CuKα radiation. A NIST-built diffractometer, incorporating many advanced and unique design features was used to make the certification measurements.

The microstructural characteristics of mechanically milled (MM) iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) powders are investigated by means of various X-ray crystallography analysis methods. The conventional Williamson–Hall and Warren–Averbach methods are used besides the modified Williamson–Hall, the modified Warren–Averbach, and the Variance approaches, in proper cases. Afterward, the obtained crystallite size and dislocation density are used to calculate the stored energy in the nanostructured powders. For this aim, a new geometrical approach is developed which can consider three-dimensional crystallites and the thickness of boundaries between them. Moreover, the released energy during annealing of MM Cu and Fe powders is measured using differential scanning calorimetry. The results of line broadening analysis and geometrical modelling are combined to the calorimetry of a room temperature aged Cu powder. In this way, the thickness of grain boundary in the nanostructured Cu is calculated to be 1.6 nm.

Selected hydrides (TiH2, ZrH2), chlorides (VCl3, ScCl3) or oxides (V2O5) utilized as additives facilitating hydrogen release and uptake for magnesium hydride were investigated using mechano-chemical treatment and in-situ synchrotron radiation powder X-ray diffraction studies. The fastest hydrogen desorption and absorption kinetics for MgH2 was observed for a sample with 5 mol% V2O5 at 320 °C. Additional activation of the system (2 cycles, vacuum/p(H2) ~150 bar, 450 °C) leads to significant improvement of the kinetics even at lower temperatures, 270 °C. The observed prolific effect is achieved through the full reduction of vanadium oxides and formation of an efficient vanadium catalyst as nanoparticles and possibly interfacial effects in the MgO/Mg/MgH2/V system introduced during cycling hydrogen release and uptake in hydrogen/dynamic vacuum at 450 °C. Nanostructuring as well as hydrogen permeability via vanadium nanoparticles may improve kinetics and reduce the apparent activation energy for hydrogen release. Thus, the enhancement of hydrogen release/uptake in the MgH2 owe to “in situ” formation of vanadium nanoparticles by reduction of V2O5.

The crystal structure of salmeterol xinafoate has been solved and refined using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data, and optimized using density functional techniques. Salmeterol xinafoate crystallizes in space group P−1 (#2) with a = 9.173 89(13), b = 9.483 79(14), c = 21.3666(4) Å, α = 82.2646(13), β = 85.2531(12), γ = 62.1565(11)°, V = 1628.37(5) Å3, and Z = 2. Key to the structure solution was linking the two fragments by a Li atom along the expected N–H···O hydrogen bond. The salmeterol cation and xinafoate anion are linked by N–H···O and O–H···O hydrogen bonds, interactions which cause the salmeterol to adjust its conformation. The hydrogen bonds result in complex chains along the b-axis. The powder pattern is included in the Powder Diffraction File™ as entry 00-065-1430.

The crystal structure of fingolimod hydrochloride (C19H34ClNO2) has been solved and refined using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data, and optimized using density functional techniques. Fingolimod hydrochloride crystallizes in space group P21/n (#14) with a = 7.137 53(5), b = 5.957 98(4), c = 49.5196(4) Å, β = 91.0808(7)°, V = 2105.46(2) Å3, and Z = 4. The structure consists of a “lipid bilayer” packing. The polar ends of the molecules make O–H···Cl and N–H···Cl hydrogen bonds to the chloride anion, and the octyl side chains pack adjacent to each other. The hydrogen bonds form three types of chains with graph sets C1,2(7), C1,2(7), and C1,2(8). The result is a complex chain of hydrogen bonds parallel to the b-axis. The powder pattern has been submitted to ICDD for inclusion in future releases of the Powder Diffraction File™.

A method is presented to examine consecutive in-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) diffractograms using exploratory factor analysis. Systematic changes in the diffractograms are described numerically by score values that could be used to correlate diffraction data with other non-stationary sample properties. Phase and structure evolution in a reacting material can be studied by in-situ XRD. The consecutively collected data can be considered a time series of datasets. Time series are non-stationary data. Such non-stationary data are often hard to examine fully by conventional evaluation methods including applications of the Rietveld method. Here a method is presented to avoid shortcomings of conventional evaluation methods. The new method helps to identify and describe significant systematic changes in in-situ XRD datasets by numerical values. These systematic changes can represent structural changes as well as changes in phase composition. The method can be used to describe the development of the complex processes of compositional and structural changes. The method is demonstrated using the example of a hydrating Portland cement mortar. This hydration process involves at least 11 phases including non-crystalline phases. In the presented example factor analysis of in-situ XRD data results in three variables (factors) describing the observed changes numerically.

The aim of this work was to compare different excitation modes for the analysis of light elements from carbon (Z = 6) upwards using a total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis (TXRF) vacuum chamber which allows the attachment of different X-ray tubes and detectors. In the first set of experiments, two water-cooled high-power X-ray tubes with Cr (Z = 25) and Cu (Z = 29) anodes, respectively, were compared with an air-cooled low-power tube with Mo anode (Z = 42) and a thin Be window for the transmission of Mo-L lines. In the first two cases, monochromatic Kα radiation was used for excitation, while in the case of the Mo tube the multilayer acted as a cut-off reflector and part of the Mo bremsstrahlung continuum together with the Mo-L series were used for excitation. Multi-element standards containing elements ranging from Na (Z = 11) to Ti (Z = 22) were analyzed by a silicon drift detector (SDD) with a 300 nm ultrathin polymer window (UTW). Detection limits were calculated and compared for the three excitation modes. The second set of experiments was performed using an air-cooled low-power X-ray tube with Rh anode (Z = 45) in order to show that a conventional SDD with a 25 μm beryllium window can be used for the detection of elements from Na upwards. The use of compact air-cooled low-power X-ray tubes together with Peltier-cooled SDDs with UTW should lead to the development of highly sensitive tabletop vacuum TXRF spectrometers with a design optimized for the analysis of light elements. Detection limits as achieved by vacuum chambers using conventional water-cooled high-power tubes (e.g. Streli et al., 2004) are realistically achievable with the new approach.

Building materials are very complex samples of worldwide importance; hence quantitative knowledge of their mineralogical composition is necessary to predict performances. Rietveld quantitative phase analysis (RQPA) allows a direct measurement of the crystalline phase contents of cements. We highlight in this paper the use of laboratory X-ray powder diffraction (LXRPD) employing high-energy radiation, molybdenum (Mo), for attaining the RQPA of cements. Firstly, we evaluate the accuracy of RQPA employing a commercial calcium sulfoaluminate clinker with gypsum. In addition to MoKα1 and MoKα1,2 radiations, Cu and synchrotron patterns are also analyzed for the sake of comparison. Secondly, the assessment of the accuracy of RQPA results obtained using different radiations (synchrotron, Mo, and Cu) and geometries (reflection and transmission) is performed by analyzing two well-known commercial samples. As expected, for LXRPD data, accuracy in the RQPA results improves as the irradiated volume increases. Finally, three very complex aged hydrated cements have been analyzed using MoKα1-LXRPD and Synchrotron-XRPD. The main overall outcome of this work is the benefit for RQPA of using strictly monochromatic MoKα1 radiation. Best laboratory results arise from MoKα1 data as the effective tested volume is much increased but peak overlapping is not swelled.

Diblock copolymers (BCPs) show phase separation on mesoscopic length scales and form ordered morphologies in both bulk and thin films, the latter resulting in nanostructured surfaces. Morphologies in thin films are strongly influenced by film parameters, the ratio of film thickness and bulk domain spacing. Laterally structured polymer surfaces may serve as templates for controlled assembly of nanoparticles (NPs). We investigated the BCP of poly(n-pentyl methacrylate) and poly(methyl methacrylate) which show bulk morphologies of stacked lamellae or hexagonally packed cylinders. Thin films were investigated by atomic force microscopy and grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering. For film thicknesses f well below dbulk, standing cylinder morphologies were observed in appropriate molar ratios, while film thicknesses around and larger than dbulk resulted in cylinders arranged parallel to surface. To alter and/or improve the morphology also in presence of different NPs (e.g., silica, gold), solvent vapour annealing (SVA) was applied. The BCP morphology usually remains unchanged but periodicities change depending on type and amount of incorporated NPs. It was found that silica clusters enlarge lateral distances of cylinders, whereas Au NPs reduce it. The effect of SVA is weak. The quality of morphology is slightly improved by SVA and lateral distances remain constant or are slightly reduced.