The growth temperature dependence of the InN film’s crystalline quality is reported. InN films are grown on sapphire substrates from 570 to 650 °C with low-temperature GaN buffers by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). The X-ray rocking curves and reciprocal space mappings of the symmetric reflection (0 0 0 2) and asymmetric reflection (1 0 1 2) are measured with high resolution X-ray diffraction. The results indicate that the crystallinity is sensitive to the growth temperature for MOVPE InN. At growth temperature 580 °C, highly crystalline InN film has been obtained, for which the full-width-at-half-maxima of (0 0 0 2) and (1 0 1 2) rocking curves are 24 and 28 arcmin, respectively. The crystalline quality deteriorates drastically when the growth temperature exceeds 600 °C. Combined with the carrier concentration and mobility, the approach to improve the quality of InN film by MOVPE is discussed.

A short history of the developments of the successive dichotomy method for powder pattern indexing is presented. In the first computer powder indexing programs (P1 and P2), only high lattice symmetries, down to orthorhombic, were considered [Louër and Louër, J. Appl. Crystallogr. 5, 271–275 (1972)]. Later on, an extension to the monoclinic symmetry was reported in DICVOL, including a partition of the volume space to first search solutions with smaller unit cell volumes [Louër and Vargas, J. Appl. Crystallogr. 15, 542–545 (1982)]. However, CPU times were slow in some monoclinic examples. A thorough mathematical analysis resulted in a significant optimization of the CPU times [Boultif and Louër, J. Appl. Crystallogr. 24, 987–993 (1991)]. Simultaneously, the method is extended to triclinic lattices. The stages of development of the various versions of the DICVOL program are described, with a particular emphasis on DICVOL91 (Boultif and Louër, 1991) and DICVOL04 [Boultif and Louër, J. Appl. Crystallogr. 37, 724–731 (2004)]. This article is written to testify to and emphasize the major role played by Daniel Louër, who introduced the successive dichotomy method and continued to its evolution and optimization over almost 40 years.

X-ray powder diffraction technique and the Rietveld refinement method have been used successfully for the qualitative and quantitative analyses of Pingguo bauxite from Guangxi, China. Qualitative phase analysis shows that the Pingguo bauxite contains diaspore (AlOOH), hematite (Fe2O3), goethite (FeOOH), anatase (TiO2), and kaolinite (Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4). Quantitative Rietveld refinement shows that the weight concentrations of diaspore, goethite, hematite, anatase, and kaolinite for the Pingguo bauxite are 71.9(4)%, 7.0(8)%, 11.3(7)%, 6.5(6)%, and 3.3(9)%, respectively.

X-ray powder diffraction data collected for the complex silver(I) cyclamate [Ag(C6H12NO3S)] are reported. This material was obtained from a stoichiometric mixture of sodium cyclamate and AgNO3. The analysis of the data using the Le Bail method showed that the complex has monoclinic symmetry (space group C2/c). The unit cell parameters are a=31.85852(16) Å, b=6.25257(6) Å, c=8.46165(7) Å, and β=95.7651(5)°.

The versatility of confocal micro X-ray fluorescence (MXRF) in analyzing thin films on semiconductor wafers is demonstrated. Unlike conventional MXRF, confocal MXRF can depth profile sample layers and reduce spectral background. Nondestructive quantification of the silicon dioxide concentration in hafnium silicate thin films is an example of one application demonstrating the advantage of confocal MXRF. Additionally, the growth of titanium nitride films on various high-k gate dielectric substrates was analyzed with confocal MXRF due to its ability to detect sub-nm film thickness changes.

A new compound Th0.9Ce0.1SiO4, iso-typic to zircon, was prepared by heating predried ThO2, CeO2, and SiO2 (in the mole ratio 0.9:0.10:1.0) by a two-step heating protocol. The polycrystalline sample obtained was characterized by Rietveld refinement of the observed neutron diffraction data with the starting model of tetragonal ThSiO4. It has a body centered tetragonal structure with space group I41∕amd and four formula units per unit cell. The unit-cell parameters are a=7.1238(4) Å and c=6.3186(95) Å. The RP, Rwp, and Re factors are 7.77%, 10.9%, and 4.85%, respectively. The incorporation of about 10 mol % cerium was used to stabilize the tetragonal modification of ThSiO4.

The painting materials and drawing techniques of a pair of two-panel folding screens entitled Red and White Plum Blossoms by Ogata Korin, a national treasure in Japan, were investigated directly and nondestructively by XRF, X-ray radiography, and high resolution digital imaging. Several assumptions were made about the materials used in the red and white plum trees drawn on the right and left screens, respectively, and the river drawn at the center. By the present investigation, the materials used for the paintings were revealed, and some of them contradicted what have been previously believed.

From 1967 to 2000 Daniel Louër of the Department of Crystal Chemistry, University of Rennes, and J. Ian Langford of the Department of Physics, University of Birmingham, collaborated in studying structural imperfections by means of high-resolution X-ray powder diffractometry. They contributed to the theory and practice of line profile analysis and investigated the microstructure of a variety of nanocrystalline materials. Although many of the projects undertaken were part of the research programme at Rennes to investigate the mechanisms of solid-state reactions, the work is relevant in other fields of materials science.

Single-phase (Ho0.50Ca0.50)MnO3 has been successfully prepared by means of solid state reaction at high temperature. Its crystal structure, as well as those of Cr-doped samples(Ho1−xCax)(Mn1−yCry)O3, has been refined by the Rietveld method, using X-ray powder diffraction data. All the examined compounds crystallize in the Pnma space group with a distorted perovskite-type structure. The distortion of the BO6 octahedra, due to the Jahn–Teller Mn3+ ionic species, decreases with the Cr content. Bond valence sum calculations were carried out using the refined results.

Crystal structures of A0.50SbFe(PO4)3(A=Mn, Cd) phases, obtained by solid state reaction at 920 °C, were determined at room temperature from X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) using the Rietveld method. The structures of the two samples are of the Nasicon-type with the R3 space group. Hexagonal cell parameters for A=Mn and Cd are: a=8.375(1) Å, c=21.597(2) Å and a=8.313(1) Å, c=21.996(2) Å, respectively. From XRD data, it is difficult to unambiguously distinguish between Cd2+ and Sb5+ ions in Cd0.50SbFe(PO4)3 and between Mn2+ and Fe3+ cations in Mn0.50SbFe(PO4)3. Nevertheless the overall set of cation–anion distances within the Nasicon framework clearly shows that the cation distribution can be illustrated by the {[A0.50]3a[◻0.50]3b}M1SbFe(PO4)3 (A=Mn, Cd) crystallographic formula. The divalent A2+ cations and vacancies are ordered within the two positions, 3a and 3b, of the M1 sites. Structure refinements show also a quasi-ordered distribution of Sb5+ and Fe3+ ions within the Nasicon framework. Thus, each A(3a)O6(A=Mn, Cd) octahedron shares two faces with two Fe3+O6 octahedra and each vacancy (◻(3b)O6) site is located between two Sb5+O6 octahedra.

The crystal structure of cesium ammonium hexachlorotellurate [Cs0.86(NH4)0.14]2TeCl6, has been determined using X-ray powder diffraction techniques. At room temperature, the title compound crystallizes in the cubic space group Fm3m, with a lattice parameter a=10.470(17) Å. The Rietveld refinement of the structure led to final confidence factors Rp=0.0338 and Rwp=0.0487. The structure of [Cs0.86(NH4)0.14]2TeCl6 belongs to the large family of K2PtCl6-related structures. The H atoms of the ammonium group are orientated with its apex toward Te atoms as seen in the related compound (NH4)2SiF6. An IR spectroscopic study was performed to confirm the results of the diffraction method, notably concerning the presence of the ammonium group.

Besides statistical and graphical measures, many structural features can be used to assess the quality of a Rietveld refinement. These include the metric symmetry of the lattice (which can assist in determining the true symmetry and in identifying isostructural compounds), bond distances and angles (which should fall within normal ranges), displacement coefficients, refined stoichiometry, the absolute values of the standard uncertainties of the fractional coordinates, the hydrogen bonding pattern, the presence of approximate symmetry, the presence of unindexed peaks in the pattern, and whether the refinement converges at all. Chemical knowledge can be built into a Rietveld refinement though the use of restraints and rigid bodies. A knowledge of chemical reasonableness proved important in refining the correct structures of [Fe(H2O)6](BF4)2, (Ba1.5Sr0.5)TiO4, and (Ba1.25Sr0.75)TiO4.

Amantadine hydrochloride, p-aminophenol hydrochloride, and methylamine hydrochloride, compounds often studied in pharmacology, were investigated by means of powder diffractometry. The chemical formula of the first compound is C10H17N HCl and crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group C2∕c (15) with lattice parameters a=2.0279(6) nm, b=1.1171(2) nm, c=9.759(4) nm, and β=109.00(3)°. p-Aminophenol hydrochloride C6H7NO HCl crystallizes in the orthorhombic system, space group P222 with lattice parameters a=0.6619(2) nm, b=0.88461(2) nm, and c=0.6101(2) nm. Methylamine hydrochloride CH5N∙HCl crystallizes in the tetragonal system, space group P4∕nmm (129) with lattice parameters a=b=0.6068(1) nm and c=0.50689(8) nm.