About the facility
Our X-ray Diffraction (XRD) Facility is the ideal first step in any materials characterisation journey. This technique is used to confirm and quantify the chemical phases present within a crystalline material, with high-throughput options available. We can apply XRD to characterise samples from a variety of industries, such as pharmaceuticals, sustainable construction materials and next-generation electronics.
If you’re a business, learn about accessing our facilities.
Available equipment
- Malvern Panalytical Empyrean Multicore Diffractometer for high-throughput standard powder XRD experiments with a 45 samples changer. Equipped with non-ambient sample chambers enabling both heating and cooling experiments. Compatible with a wide range of sample mounting, sample types and modes, such as reflection, transmission, grazing incidence, reflectivity and pole figure.
- Malvern Panalytical Aeris Diffractometer for high-throughput powder XRD with six samples changer. High-quality phase identification and quantification.
- Malvern Panalytical Empyrean Series 2 Diffractometer configured with focusing mirrors for molybdenum (Mo) and silver (Ag) radiation and a Galipix3D detector with cadmium telluride (CdTe) sensor, enabling pair distribution function data collection.
- Analysis suite for data processing, featuring software such as HighScore Plus, TOPAS, X’pert Texture and AMASS, and an annually updated International Centre for Diffraction Data (ICDD) database with more than 1 million powder diffraction reference files.
Capabilities and applications
Strain, texture, and residual stress analysis
For analysing imperfections in a crystalline material.
Example applications:
- evaluating mechanical deformation in aerospace alloys
- assessing texture evolution during forming in automotive sheet metals
- quantifying residual stresses in additively manufactured components.
In-situ temperature-controlled studies of phase transitions
Using a dedicated temperature‑control module to observe temperature‑induced phase transitions (structural changes) and simulate real‑world operating conditions.
Example applications:
- tracking transformations in steels
- monitoring order-disorder or polymorphic transitions in functional ceramics
- probing dehydration and recrystallisation in catalysts during thermal cycling
- probing polymorphic transitions in pharmaceuticals.
Quantitative phase analysis
For determining the relative proportions of crystalline phases in multiphase materials.
Example applications:
- monitoring phase balance in cement and clinker during production
- assessing phase purity in synthesised battery cathode materials, pharmaceuticals, ceramics
- tracking reaction progress during solid‑state synthesis.
Phase identification
Using diffraction patterns to determine the crystalline phases present in unknown or complex samples.
Example applications:
- identifying corrosion products in alloys
- confirming phase formation in novel functional materials
- detecting contaminants or unexpected phases in industrial powders.
X‑ray reflectometry (XRR)
For measuring thin‑film thickness, density and interfacial roughness.
Example applications:
- characterising oxide or nitride coatings in microelectronics
- determining density gradients in battery electrode thin films
- evaluating protective coatings used in optical and photovoltaic devices.
Grazing‑incidence X‑ray diffraction (GIXRD)
For analysing crystalline structure in thin films and surface layers.
Example applications:
- probing texture and grain size in sputtered metallic coatings
- characterising surface crystallisation in sol‑gel films
- studying near‑surface phases in catalytic and sensor materials.
Pair distribution function (PDF) analysis
For characterising amorphous and nanocrystalline materials with short‑range order.
Example applications:
- resolving atomic‑scale structure in battery electrode materials during cycling (ex-situ)
- evaluating catalytic glasses and gels used in chemical processing
- understanding local arrangement in pharmaceutical formulations.
Images
Malvern Panalytical Aeris Diffractometer