The use of PDF analysis to investigate local structure and domains

摘要

Knowledge of the atomic-scale structure is an important prerequisite to understand and control the properties of materials. This is becoming increasingly important with the growing use of nanostructured materials with limited structural coherence but it is becoming increasingly difficult to confidently elucidate information using traditional characterization techniques. One technique which compliments existing methods is the atomic pair distribution function (PDF) method. This is a total scattering approach whereby both the diffuse and Bragg scattering components of diffraction patterns are considered, enabling a quantitative assessment of the local structures of disordered materials. By studying the PDF on different length-scales we can obtain information concerning individual domains within nanostructured materials. Examples of how this technique can be applied are provided here.