The Rietveld Method

The Rietveld method is now widely recognized as uniquely valuable for structural analyses of nearly all classes of crystalline materials not available as single crystals. This graduate text provides a comprehensive introduction to the technique.

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The Rietveld method is a powerful and relatively new method for extracting detailed crystal structural information from X-ray and neutron powder diffraction data. Since such structural details dictate much of the physical and chemical attributes of materials, knowledge of them is crucial to our understanding of those properties and our ability to manipulate them. Since most materials of technological interest are not available as single crystals but often only available in polycrystalline or powder form, the Rietveld method has become very important and is now widely used in all branches of science that deal with materials at the atomic level. This book, a collaboration by many authorities in the field, is intended primarily to have tutorial and advisory value for those who already have some experience with this important method, but an introductory chapter aims to ensure that the book may be used as a first text for researchers starting in this area of science.
The book should therefore be useful to scientists who use the Rietveld method, graduate students starting research in this area, powder diffraction scientists, crystallographers, physicists, chemists and material scientists.