The Use and Accuracy of Continuously Scanning Position-Sensitive Detector Data in X-Ray Powder Diffraction

Abstract

AbstractBy collecting the diffracted X-rays in a focussing powder diffractometer with a linear position-sensitive detector (PSD), the data accumulation time can be widely reduced. Due to the focussing properties of the geometrical arrangement good resolution can be simultaneously achieved over a few degrees of the diffraction angle 2 Theta. The full pattern is collected by scanning the PSD along the entire 2 Theta arc. Scanning speeds of several hundred degrees per minute are possible and still yield well plotted diagrams.This work demonstrates the performance of the system in different tasks of X-ray powder diffraction such as identification of unknown materials, quantitative analysis, determination of lattice constants and microcrystalline properties. The results, evaluated by parts of the program system DIFFRAC 11, show that the accuracy and resolution of the continuously scanning PSD technique match these tasks without difficulty and reach the precision limits of powder diffractometry itself. It is demonstrated that the data collection velocity, which matches well the data evaluation times, is not the only advantage compared to conventional diffractometets.