Search research articles

Related Concept Videos

$X-ray Diffraction of Biological Samples$ 01:10

X-ray Diffraction of Biological Samples

X-ray diffraction or XRD is an analytical tool that utilizes X-rays to study ordered structures such as crystalline organic and inorganic samples, polycrystalline materials, proteins, carbohydrates, and drugs.
According to Bragg's law, when X-rays strike the sample positioned on a stage, the rays are scattered by the electron clouds around the sample atoms. The X-ray diffraction or scattering is caused by constructive interference of the X-ray waves that reflect off the internal...

X-ray Crystallography

X-ray Crystallography

The size of the unit cell and the arrangement of atoms in a crystal may be determined from measurements of the diffraction of X-rays by the crystal, termed X-ray crystallography.
Diffraction
Diffraction is the change in the direction of travel experienced by an electromagnetic wave when it encounters a physical barrier whose dimensions are comparable to those of the wavelength of the light. X-rays are electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths about as long as the distance between neighboring...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Learning Latent Representations to Bridge Coarse-Grained and Atomistic Resolutions in Polymer Simulations.

Journal of chemical theory and computation·2026

Same author

Radiation Damage Mechanisms in Oxide-Based Solid Electrolytes.

ACS applied materials & interfaces·2026

Same author

Self-driving lab discovers principles for steering spontaneous emission beyond conventional Fourier optics.

Nature communications·2025

Same author

Controlling Fatigue Cracks in the Transmission Electron Microscope.

Small methods·2025

Same author

Grain boundary zirconia-modified garnet solid-state electrolyte.

Nature materials·2025

Same author

Stability and Mobility of Disconnections in Solute Atmospheres: Insights from Interfacial Defect Diagrams.

Physical review letters·2025

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 3, 2026

UV-Vis Spectroscopic Characterization of Nanomaterials in Aqueous Media

UV-Vis Spectroscopic Characterization of Nanomaterials in Aqueous Media

Published on: October 25, 2021

Revealing inconsistencies in X-ray width methods for nanomaterials.

Cody Kunka¹, Brad L Boyce, Stephen M Foiles

¹Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA. ckunka@sandia.gov blboyce@sandia.gov rdingre@sandia.gov.

|November 21, 2019

Summary

Evaluating X-ray diffraction width methods for nanomaterials revealed inconsistencies. Simple Scherrer methods are best for unloaded states, while Energy methods excel for loaded states, improving nanomaterial characterization.

More Related Videos

$Stress Distribution During Cold Compression of Rocks and Mineral Aggregates Using Synchrotron-based X-Ray Diffraction$

Stress Distribution During Cold Compression of Rocks and Mineral Aggregates Using Synchrotron-based X-Ray Diffraction

Published on: May 20, 2018

Small and Wide Angle X-Ray Scattering Studies of Biological Macromolecules in Solution

Small and Wide Angle X-Ray Scattering Studies of Biological Macromolecules in Solution

Published on: January 8, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 3, 2026

UV-Vis Spectroscopic Characterization of Nanomaterials in Aqueous Media

UV-Vis Spectroscopic Characterization of Nanomaterials in Aqueous Media

Published on: October 25, 2021

$Stress Distribution During Cold Compression of Rocks and Mineral Aggregates Using Synchrotron-based X-Ray Diffraction$

Stress Distribution During Cold Compression of Rocks and Mineral Aggregates Using Synchrotron-based X-Ray Diffraction

Published on: May 20, 2018

Small and Wide Angle X-Ray Scattering Studies of Biological Macromolecules in Solution

Small and Wide Angle X-Ray Scattering Studies of Biological Macromolecules in Solution

Published on: January 8, 2013

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Nanotechnology
Crystallography

Background:

X-ray diffraction (XRD) width methods are crucial for characterizing nanomaterials.
Existing methods, like Scherrer and Williamson-Hall, suffer from inconsistencies and misinterpretations.
Accurate size determination is vital for understanding material properties.

Purpose of the Study:

To systematically evaluate twenty-two XRD width methods for nanomaterial characterization.
To provide a consistent nomenclature for width methods.
To guide the selection and interpretation of XRD methods for various material states.

Main Methods:

Virtual X-ray diffractograms generated from atomistic simulations for direct comparison with ground truth.
Systematic evaluation of twenty-two width methods on a representative nanomaterial under thermal and mechanical loads.
Comparison of simulation results with experimental synchrotron diffraction data.

Main Results:

Popular methods, particularly Williamson-Hall, can yield incorrect trends.
Simple Scherrer methods accurately characterize unloaded nanomaterials.
Energy methods effectively characterize loaded nanomaterials.

Conclusions:

The study introduces a consistent nomenclature for XRD width methods.
XRD width method selection and interpretation are critical for accurate nanomaterial characterization.
This work enhances the utility of XRD for evaluating diverse nanomaterials under different conditions.