• https://www.aps.anl.gov/Education/Powder-Diffraction-Educational-Materials A website that offers a collection of videos, tutorials, GSAS-related resources and materials from past powder-centric conferences.
• http://img.chem.ucl.ac.uk/sgp/mainmenu.htm A Hypertext Book of Crystallographic Space Group Diagrams and Tables.
• https://www.epfl.ch/schools/sb/research/iphys/teaching/crystallography/ A collection of various applets related to symmetry, diffraction and structure solution.
• https://www.ccdc.cam.ac.uk/Community/educationalresources/csdteachingdatabase/ CSD teaching subset containing 750 structures to illustrate chemistry and crystallography concepts at various levels to students 16+ years of age.
• https://www.cryst.ehu.es/ Bilbao Crystallographic Server, a collection of resources for point, plane and space group symmetry. Applications to Raman, Quantum Chemistry, Solid-State Theory, Magnetism and more are also explored.
• https://www.icdd.com/methodfield-tutorials/ Tutorials for various power-diffraction-based analysis methods.
• https://xray.chem.tamu.edu/courses.php Resources for single crystal and powder diffraction data collection and analysis. Narrated lecture slides.
• https://www.iucr.org/education Links to presentations and hands-on crystallography-related outreach activities.
• https://symotter.org/ Symmetry tutorials and interactive applets, both for point groups and space groups.
• https://topas.webspace.durham.ac.uk/ Durham Topas Academic website with many tutorials.
• https://iso.byu.edu/iso/isotropy.php . Isotropy Suite. Interactive tools for group theoretical analysis of crystal and magnetic structures.

Most technical professional conferences focused on Biology, Chemistry, Geology Physics, and/or Materials Science as well as other disciplines will often have oral presentations, posters, tutorials, and workshops where powder diffraction data has been included as a characterization tool.  Additionally, the conferences below have a strong focus on both the use of powder diffraction as a characterization tool as well as learning the basic nuances about the technique, both hardware and software, through workshops and tutorials.  Below is a list of some of the professional conferences frequented by practitioners of powder diffraction.

CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS

• Denver X-ray Conference

https://www.dxcicdd.com

World’s largest X-ray conference with sessions focused on the latest advancements in XRD and XRF. Workshops are run by experts who provide training and education on many practical applications of X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction techniques for the study of materials. DXC provides a unique mixture of sessions on training, education, and applications, including state-of-the-art techniques and future developments in X-ray analysis.

• American Crystallographic Association (ACA) Annual meeting

https://www.amercrystalassn.org

ACA – Advancing Crystallography: Strengthening Community, Funding & Support

• International Union of Crystallograph (IUCr) triannual congress

https://www.iucr.org/iucr/cong

The 27th congress and general assembly of the IUCr will be held in Calgary, Canada, 11–18 August 2026. The 28^th congress and general assembly of the IUCr will be held in Berlin, Germany 18-25 August 2029.

• Pittsburgh Diffraction Conference

https://www.pittdifsoc.org/conference.htm

82nd annual Pittsburgh Diffraction Conference will be held Oct 9-12, 2025 at Stony Brook University on Long Island, New York

Pittsburgh Diffraction Society – Promoting Diffraction and Crystallography Research

• European Powder Diffraction Conference (EPDIC)

The EPDIC Conference is the biennial meeting dedicated to all aspects of the analysis of polycrystalline materials by diffraction methods

EPDIC19 2026 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland

SCHOOLS

• National Neutron Scattering School (NNS)

https://neutrons.ornl.gov/nns

The main purpose of NNS is to educate graduate students and postdoctoral researchers about the use of major neutron facilities. Lectures, presented by researchers from academia, industry, and national laboratories, include basic tutorials on the principles of scattering theory and the characteristics of the sources, as well as seminars on the application of scattering methods to a variety of scientific subjects. Participants will conduct short, in-person experiments and tutorials at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source and High Flux Isotope Reactor, which provide hands-on experience for using neutron sources.

• ACA Summer School

https://acasummercourse.net

The course is designed to instruct attendees in the theory and practice of single-crystal chemical crystallography and powder diffraction techniques.

• International Centre for Diffraction Data (ICDD)– Education

https://www.icdd.com/icdd-education/

ICDD training courses teach both theoretical knowledge and practical applications of X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD). Instructors have extensive experience in the field and are specially selected from academia, government, and industry to deliver the best of theory and practice. The courses focus on practical applications, hands-on experience, and intense personal instruction. Each course utilizes a team of instructors representing a range of expertise to meet your training needs. Courses offer by the ICDD include

• X-ray powder diffraction, providing a fundamental understanding of the theoretical basis as well as the practical application and implementation of powder diffractometry in today’s laboratory
• Rietveld refinement and indexing, introducing the theory and formalisms of various indexing methods and structural refinement techniques

 

• MMRRSA (Kalifah)
• 3PD (Aitken)

 

 

 

 

Facilities are listed here that allow access by proposal based on merit. Please let us know of any facilities that we have missed.

• GSECARS: GeoSoilEnviroCars at the APS provides earth scientists with access to the high-brilliance hard X-rays from the third-generation synchrotron light source at APS.
• NSF’s ChemMatCARS (Sector 15) at the APS represents chemists and material scientists with interests in surface science, advanced crystallography, nanoscience, and the science of soft materials and polymers. Research at ChemMatCARS focuses on several aspects of dynamic and structural condensed matter and materials chemistry research. Areas include surface and interfacial properties in soft condensed matter and molecular liquids; chemical crystallography; structure and properties of molecular aggregates and semiconductors in microporous, layered, and glassy materials; interfacial and bulk properties of novel polymers and composites, including supramolecular and mesoscopic structures; and local structure in metalloproteins and enzymes.
• COMPRES, the Consortium for Materials Properties Research in Earth Science at the NSLS-II | Beamline 28-ID-2 (XPD) X-ray Powder Diffraction. COMPRES is a community-based consortium whose goal is to enable Earth Science researchers to conduct the next generation of high-pressure science on world-class equipment and facilities. It facilitates the operation of beam lines, the development of new technologies for high pressure research, and advocates for science and educational programs to the various funding agencies.
• SNS X-Ray Laboratory at ORNL. The X-Ray Laboratory, located in the SNS Central Laboratory and Office Building (CLO), has a suite of X-ray instruments available for powder and single-crystal diffraction, small-angle X-ray scattering, and crystal alignment.
• The Center for Nanoscale Materials, The CNM at the APS is a DOE Office of Science user facility providing researchers from across the globe with world-class expertise and instrumentation for multidisciplinary nanoscience and nanotechnology research. The CNM includes the Hard X-ray Nanoprobe Beamline.
• The Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) at ORNL offers the national and international user community access to staff expertise and state-of-the-art equipment for a broad range of nanoscience research, including nanomaterials synthesis, nanofabrication, imaging/microscopy/characterization, and theory/modeling/simulation.
• National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, the largest and highest-powered magnet lab in the world.
• NREL Materials Characterization
• PNNL Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory
• BioCARS (Sector 14) at the APS serves the structural biology community with a special interest in macromolecular dynamics. BioCARS provides state-of-the-art X-ray facilities as well as scientific and technical expertise for studies of dynamic properties of biological macromolecules by time-resolved crystallography and solution scattering (SAXS/WAXS).

American Chemical Society – www.acs.org

A non-profit scientific organization with more than 145 years’ experience that is a champion for chemistry, its practitioners and its global community of members.

 

Materials Research Society – www.MRS.org

A global community of materials researchers from academia, national laboratories, and industry.

 

Neutron Scattering Society of America – www.neutronscattering.org

Focuses on the advancement of neutron scattering research in the United States.

 

Royal Society of Chemistry – www.rsc.org

Its goal is to advance excellence in the chemical sciences. 

 

International Union of Crystallography – www.iucr.org

The IUCr is an International Scientific Union. Its objectives are to promote international cooperation in crystallography and to contribute to all aspects of crystallography, to promote international publication of crystallographic research, to facilitate standardization of methods, units, nomenclatures and symbols, and to form a focus for the relations of crystallography to other sciences.

 

African Crystallographic Association – www.iucr.org/world/associates/afca

The mission of the African Crystallographic Association is to contribute to the advancement of science on the African continent via crystallography in all its aspects, including related topics concerning the structure and related properties of non-crystalline states, and to promote African cooperation in crystallography.

 

American Crystallographic Association – www.iucr.org/world/associates/aca

The objective of the ACA is to promote interactions among scientists who study the structure of matter at atomic (or near atomic) resolution. These interactions will advance experimental and computational aspects of crystallography and diffraction.  Understanding the nature of the forces that both control and result from the molecular and atomic arrangements in matter will help shed light on chemical interactions in nature and can therefore lead to cures for disease.

 

European Crystallographic Association – https://www.iucr.org/world/associates/eca

The European Crystallographic Association (ECA) is a scientific association having as objectives the advancement of crystallography in all its aspects and to promote cooperation in crystallography between the countries of Europe, Africa and the Middle East. ECA is one of the four regional affiliates of the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr).

 

Asian Crystallographic Association – www.iucr.org/world/associates/asca

The Asian Crystallographic Association is the regional affiliate representative for crystallographic societies and organizations in Asia and Oceania.

 

Latin-American Crystallographic Association – www.iucr.org/world/associates/laca

The Latin-American Crystallographic Association is the regional affiliate representative for crystallographic societies and organizations in countries of north, central, and south american regions.

 

Swedish Neutron Scattering Society – www.snss.se

Advancing the use of neutrons for Swedish Research. SNSS is an organization open to all those who are using, or interested in the use of, neutron scattering techniques. There are currently about 200 members. SNSS is affiliated to the European Neutron Scattering Association (ENSA).

 

Institute of Physics Neutron Scattering Group https://www.iop.org/physics-community/special-interest-groups/neutron-scattering-group

Neutron scattering to study the structure and dynamics of systems has continuously increased since neutrons became available in reasonable quantities from research reactors and accelerator-based sources.

 

Swiss Neutron Scattering Group https://sgn.web.psi.ch

The goals of the society are the advancement of neutron scattering and other research using neutrons in Switzerland.

 

International X-ray Analysis Society (IXAS) https://www.iucr.org/news/newsletter/volume-8/number-2/ixas

A new type of scientific society focused on the use of X-rays, neutrons, and electrons in materials characterization has been established. The Society will provide e-discussion groups, a job clearinghouse, future meetings bulletin, analysis problems bulletin board, newsletter e-mailed, X-ray analysis meetings proceedings and abstracts on web, free fully electronic journal JXA on the web, data committee: XRF fundamental parameters on the web.

 

Chinese Neutron Scattering Society http://english.ihep.cas.cn/cnss/

Chinese Neutron Scattering Society (CNSS) was formally established as a branch of the Chinese Physical Society in 2012, linked to Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). CNSS is a member of Asia-Oceania Neutron Scattering Association (AONSA), and also is an academic organization of Chinese scientists and users who engaged in the research and application of neutron-scattering sciences.

 

European Synchrotron and FEL User Organization (ESUO)

The European Synchrotron and Free Electron Laser User Organization ESUO, the European Synchrotron and Free Electron Laser User Organization offers to represent all users of synchrotron and free electron-laser facilities in Europe.

 

Polskie Towarzystwo Promieniowania Synchrotronowego (PTPS): The Polish Synchrotron Radiation Society.

 

The Japanese Society for Synchrotron Radiation Research:

The JSSRR was founded with the goal of promoting the current and future rapid development in synchrotron radiation science, by providing a forum for disseminating current research results and trends, the joint solving of academic and technical problems, and the interchange of ideas for developing new research directions.

 

International Centre for Diffraction Data (ICDD):  https://www.icdd.com

A non-profit scientific organization dedicated to collecting, editing, publishing, and distributing powder diffraction data for the identification of materials. The membership of the ICDD consists of worldwide representation from academe, government, and industry.

 

Mineralogical Society of America (MSA): 

The Mineralogical Society of America’s mission is to diligently work on the advancement of mineralogy, crystallography, geochemistry, petrology, and promotion of their uses in other sciences, industry, and the arts. It encourages fundamental research about natural materials; supports the teaching of mineralogical concepts and procedures; and attempts to raise the scientific literacy of society with respect to issues involving mineralogy in the widest sense

 

Pittsburgh Diffraction Society: 

The Pittsburgh Diffraction Society (PDS) is a not-for-profit organization which promotes fundamental and applied diffraction and crystallographic research and the exchange of ideas and information concerning such research

 

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft: https://www.mpg.de/en

A German research society that has a focus on X-ray diffraction research.

 

German Society for Crystallography:  https://dgk-home.de/en/

The aim of the DGK is to bring together all those active in the field of crystallography in order to foster the exchange of scientific experience and ideas as well as further training on a national and international level and to promote crystallography in teaching, research and industrial practice and in the public

• Klug and Alexander, 1974, X-Ray Diffraction Procedures: For Polycrystalline and Amorphous Materials, 2nd Edition. THE classic text on powder diffraction.  If you encounter a copy, nab it!  Every powder diffractionist should have a copy.  The old guys were really smart, but they didn’t have the computer power we have today.
• B. D. Cullity, S.R. Stock, “Elements of X-ray Diffraction”, Prentice Hall College Div., 3^rd ed., 2001. Another classic text, updated in 2001.
• V. K. Pecharsky & P. Y. Zavalij, 2008, Fundamentals of Powder Diffraction and Structural Characterization of Materials, Second Edition, Springer. An excellent introduction to powder diffraction for beginners.
• Powder Diffraction. Theory and Practice. Edited by Robert E. Dinnebier and Simon J. L. Billinge, 2008. An excellent advanced text.  A second edition is in preparation.
• A. Clearfield, J. H. Reibenspies, and N. Bhuvanesh, editors. Practice and Applications of Powder Diffraction, Blackwell (2008). An intermediate-level text. 
• R. Jenkins & R. L. Snyder, 1996, Introduction to X-ray Powder Diffractometry, Wiley-Interscience. A good introductory text, though old.  It is particularly good on the early aspects of a powder diffraction measurement: X-rays, specimen prep, alignment, etc.
• D. L. Bish and J. E. Post, Editors, Modern Powder Diffraction, Vol. 20, MSA Reviews in Mineralogy, 1989. https://msaweb.org/volume-20-modern-powder-diffraction/. Not “modern” anymore, but still contains lots of useful information.
• International Tables, https://it.iucr.org
  • especially Volume H: Powder Diffraction, 2019. The ultimate reference on powder diffraction, useful for both beginners and advanced workers.  (A totally unbiased comment by one of the editors!)
• E. J. Mittemeijer & U. Welzel, Editors, 2013, Modern Diffraction Methods, Wiley-VCH. A more-modern advanced text, with emphasis on analysis of all features of diffraction data.
• V. E. Buhrke, R. Jenkins & D. K. Smith, 1998, A Practical Guide for the Preparation of Specimens for X-ray Fluorescence and X-ray Diffraction Analysis, Wiley-VCH. Lots of tricks for specimen preparation.  A must-have.
• F. H. Chung and D.K. Smith (eds) Industrial Applications of X-ray Diffraction . Marcel Dekker . 2000. As advertised, full of real-world examples.  Even though old, most of them are still relevant.
• R. A. Palmer, F.C. Ladd, “Structure Determination by X-ray Crystallography”, Springer, 5^th ed., 2013. A good introduction to single-crystal crystallography.
• J. P. Glusker, K.N. Trueblood, “Crystal Structure Analysis: A Primer”, IUCr Monographs on Crystallography, Oxford Scientific Publications, 2010. A nice brief introduction to single-crystal methods.
• J. P. Glusker, M. Lewis, M. Rossi, “Crystal Structure Analysis for Chemists and Biologists”, VCH Publishers, 1994. An introduction to single-crystal analysis, aimed at non-specialists.
• G. H. Stout, L.H. Jensen “X-ray Structure Determination: A Practical Guide”, Wiley, 2^nd ed., 1989. Another classic introduction to single-crystal methods.
• B. E. Warren, 1969, 1990, X-Ray Diffraction, Dover. Another classic text, well worth the modest price.
• Andrew T. Boothroyd, “Principles of Neutron Scattering from Condensed Matter”, 2020.  This textbook provides a comprehensive and up-to-date account of the many different ways neutrons are being used to investigate the behavior of atoms and molecules in bulk matter. It is written in a pedagogical style, and includes many examples and exercises.
• G. L. Squires, “Thermal Neutron Scattering”.  Out of print (1978), but may still be available online.  Graduate-level monograph develops theoretical ideas in a relatively informal manner. Nuclear scattering, nuclear scattering by crystals, scattering by liquids, neutron optics, magnetic scattering, polarization analysis, much more. Problem examples at chapter ends. Prerequisites are some familiarity with basic concepts of quantum mechanics and solid state physics.
• R.A. Young (author and editor), “The Rietveld Method”, IUCr Monographs on Crystallography, Oxford Science Publications, 1995.  The classical original textbook on the Rietveld method.  Old, but still has lots of good information.
• Edward Prince, “Mathematical Techniques in Crystallography and Materials Science, second edition”, 1994.  Springer-Verlag.  A really good explanation of the mathematics underlying crystallography.  It is worth taking the time to work through all of the math!
• C. Giacovazzo (author and editor), “Fundamentals of Crystallography”, IUCr Monographs on Crystallography, Oxford Scientific Publications, 3rd ed., 2011.  A comprehensive introduction to crystallography, mainly single crystal.  You will find most of what you need here.
• T. Egami and S. J. L. Billinge, “Underneath the Bragg Peaks, 2nd edition”, 2012. The classic introduction to Pair Distribution Function techniques. It’s an advanced text.
• William Clegg, “Crystal Structure Determination”, 1st Edition, Oxford Chemistry Primers. A good introductory text.
• Handbook of Mineralogy; https://handbookofmineralogy.org/.  An online version of a classic print reference work (which is still available).
• Deer, Howie, and Zussman. “Rock Forming Minerals”. Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland. A comprehensive 11-volume reference on the topic.
• Deer, Howie, and Zussman. “An Introduction to the Rock-Forming Minerals, 3rd edition”. Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland (2013). The one-volume summary of the larger work.  This one you really want to have.
• Peter Main, William Clegg, Alexander J. Blake, Robert O. Gould. “Crystal Structure Analysis: Principles and Practice (International Union of Crystallography Texts on Crystallography, 6)”, 1st Edition. A good introductory text.
• B. T. M. Willis and C. J. Carlile, “Experimental Neutron Scattering”, 2013.  An elementary introduction to neutron scattering, written specifically for new entrants to the field.  Highlights science at the many new facilities for neutron scattering worldwide.

These online databases can be used to search for crystallographic information files (CIFs) and other information about known material structures.

• • Powder Diffraction File (PDF) by the International Centre for Diffraction Data (ICDD): https://www.icdd.com/pdfsearch/ . Professionally maintained database of experimentally reported structures, including both organic and inorganic structures.
  • Inorganic Crystal Structure Database (ICSD): https://icsd.products.fiz-karlsruhe.de/ . Professionally maintained database of experimentally reported structures for inorganic materials.
  • Cambridge Structural Database (CSD): https://www.ccdc.cam.ac.uk/solutions/software/csd/ . Professionally maintained database of experimentally reported small molecule organic and metal-organic
  • American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database (AMCSD): https://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/AMS/amcsd.php . Fully open database of crystal structures published in the American Mineralogist, The Canadian Mineralogist, European Journal of Mineralogy, and Physics and Chemistry of Minerals, funded by the National Science Foundation and maintained by the Mineralogical Society of American and the Mineralogical Association of Canada.
  • Crystallography Open Database (COD): https://www.crystallography.net/cod/ . Fully open database of crystal structures contributed by community members. Note that this database does not have peer review or quality control.
  • MAGNDATA: https://www.cryst.ehu.es/magndata/ . Fully open database of experimentally reported magnetic structures maintained by the Bilbao Crystallographic Server.
  • Materials Project: https://next-gen.materialsproject.org/materials . Fully open database of theoretically predicted crystal and magnetic structures (not necessarily experimentally realized).

Synchrotron X-ray and neutron beamlines for powder diffraction and total scattering (PDF) studies

Synchrotron X-ray Powder Diffraction at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne, USA

The structural science group (https://www.aps.anl.gov/Structural-Science) at the Advanced Photon Source has historically operated several beam lines (11-BM, 11-IDB, 11-IDC and 17-BM) with powder diffraction and total scattering (PDF) capabilities. A new beam line, 11-IDD is currently under development.

11-BM is high resolution powder diffraction beam line, equipped with multiple (12) silicon analyzer crystals to provide resolution that is comparable to the best beam lines in the world. The beam line has a sample handling robot and routinely operates using a Cryostream to control sample temperature in the range 100 – 500 K. Experiments at lower and higher temperature are possible. See https://11bm.xray.aps.anl.gov/ and https://www.aps.anl.gov/Beamlines/Directory/Details?beamline_id=90

11-IDB, 11-IDC and 11-IDD are current still being rebuilt/commissioned after the APS upgrade. Some details can be found in the APS beam line directory. https://www.aps.anl.gov/Beamlines/Directory

17-BM was designed with parametric powder diffraction studies, and also PDF work, in mind. The beam line makes use of large area 2D detectors to record diffraction/scattering data. It can operate over a wide range of energies and a wide range of sample environment is available. Experiments under reactive gases, in electrochemical cells, and as a function of temperature and pressure are possible. Further information can be found at https://www.aps.anl.gov/Beamlines/Directory/Details?beamline_id=88

Powder diffraction experiments are also possible at many other APS beam lines. In particular, Sectors 13 (GSE-CARS) and 16 (HP-CAT) support high pressure powder diffraction in Diamond Anvil Cells.

Synchrotron X-ray Powder Diffraction at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS II), Brookhaven National Laboratory, NY, USA

NSLS II has multiple beam lines with powder diffraction and total scattering (PDF) capabilities. 

Beam line 28-ID-2 (XPD) (https://www.bnl.gov/nsls2/beamlines/beamline.php?r=28-ID-2) offers powder diffraction and total scattering studies at energies between 40 and 70 keV. Experiments make use of large area detectors so that data can be acquired rapidly. A robotic sample changer is available along with a wide variety of sample environment enabling experiments for controlling temperature 10 – > 2000 K, chemical environment and other parameters.

Beam line 28-ID-1 (PDF) (https://www.bnl.gov/nsls2/beamlines/beamline.php?r=28-ID-1) is optimized for total scattering (PDF) studies at energies of either 74 keV or 117 keV. SAXS capabilities are also available.

Synchrotron X-ray Powder Diffraction at the Advanced Light Source II (ALS), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, CA, USA

The ALS does not offer a dedicated powder diffraction beam line, but powder diffraction experiments can be conducted at a number of different beam lines. For example, Beamline 12.2.2 (https://als.lbl.gov/beamlines/12-2-2/) supports powder diffraction under nonambient conditions including high pressure measurements in diamond anvils cells (DACs). 

Synchrotron X-ray Powder Diffraction at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, CA, USA

Beam line 2-1 (https://www-ssrl.slac.stanford.edu/content/beam-lines/bl2-1) supports powder diffraction experiments at modest energies (5 – 17.5 keV). The beam line offers high resolution, as it makes use of a crystal analyzer. A variable temperature capability is available via an Anton-Paar furnace (25 – 900 C).

Synchrotron X-ray Powder Diffraction at the Canadian Light Source (CLS), Saskatoon, CA.

Power diffraction over the energy range 4 – 94 keV is available at the Brockhouse Diffraction Sector (BXDS) (https://brockhouse.lightsource.ca/). 

The WLE beam line offers high resolution powder diffraction, at energies between 7 and 22 keV, using multiple Mythen detectors to rapidly acquire data. Details of the beam line design and performance can be found at https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600577521002496.

The WHW beam line offers powder diffraction and total scattering experiments, at energies between 20 and 94 keV, using a 2D detector to rapidly acquire data. Details of the beam line design and performance can be found at https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600577525001262.

Synchrotron X-ray Powder Diffraction at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Grenoble, France.

Powder diffraction capabilities are available at multiple beam lines. 

ID-22 (https://www.esrf.fr/id22) provides high resolution powder diffraction data via a 9-chanel Si(111) multi-analyzer arrangement. Experiments can be performed over the energy range 6 – 80 keV. Sample environments supporting temperatures between at 4 and 1800 K are available. 

High resolution powder diffraction, making use of multiple analyzer crystals, powder diffraction and total scattering is also available at the collaborating beam line BM31 SNBL II. (https://www.esrf.fr/UsersAndScience/Experiments/CRG/BM01/bm01b) Energies of ~40 and ~50 keV can be focused for diffraction and PDF studies.

Synchrotron X-ray Powder Diffraction at the Diamond Light Source, U.K.

Powder diffraction and total scattering capabilities are available at the Diamond Light Source.

Beam line I11 (https://www.diamond.ac.uk/Instruments/Crystallography/I11.html) provides multi-analyzer capabilities for high resolution powder diffraction experiments and a PSD for rapid data acquisition. The instrument is dedicated to powder diffraction at energies of 6 – 25 keV. It is optimized for 15 keV. 

Beam line I15-1 (XPDF) (https://www.diamond.ac.uk/Instruments/Crystallography/I15-1.html) is dedicated to total scattering (PDF) studies and makes use of 2D detectors for efficient data acquisition. Energies of 40.0, 65.4 and 76.6 keV are available. A robotic sample changer and a wide range of sample environment is available.

 

Neutron Powder Diffraction at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA

Oak Ridge National Laboratory operates a reactor neutron source (the HFIR) and a spallation neutron source (the SNS).

At the High Flux Isotope reactor, there are two instruments POWDER (HB2A) and WAND (HB2C) with interesting powder diffraction capabilities. As these instruments operate at a single selectable wavelength, the minimum d-spacing (maximum Q) that can be accessed is much lower than on the instruments at the Spallation Neutron Source, but they are very well suited for experiments that do not require access to high Q data.

POWDER (https://neutrons.ornl.gov/powder) makes use of a multi-detector bank (44 3He tubes) to record quite high-resolution powder diffraction patterns (Δd/d ~ 2 x 10-3 under optimal conditions). The instrument can be used with a wide range of sample environments and is often used for studies of magnetic materials and the crystals structures of other functional solids. 

WAND2 (https://neutrons.ornl.gov/wand) employs a large 3He 2D detector (120 degrees 2theta coverage) to rapidly record medium resolution powder diffraction data. It can be used with a wide range of sample environment.

At the Spallation Neutron Source, there are multiple powder diffraction capable beamlines: POWGEN (high resolution diffraction studies), NOMAD (rapid medium resolution diffraction studies and PDF experiments) and SNAP (medium resolution powder diffraction at high pressures).

POWGEN (https://neutrons.ornl.gov/powgen) is a high-resolution powder diffractometer, which can also be used for PDF studies. It is commonly used for structural studies of functional materials, including magnetic materials.  It is compatible with a wide range of sample environments, but routinely runs with a cryogenic sample changer (10 – 300 K). It provides the highest resolution neutron powder diffraction data in the USA.

NOMAD (https://neutrons.ornl.gov/nomad) was designed with studies of nanoscale ordered materials in mind (liquids, glasses and crystals containing disorder). It is routinely used for total scattering (PDF) studies and powder diffraction studies where only small samples are available. It enables rapid data acquisition and access to data at very high Q. The instrument is compatible with a wide range of sample environments including unusual items such as an aerodynamic levitator for container-less studies at high temperature (800 – 3000 K).

SNAP (https://neutrons.ornl.gov/snap) was designed as a dedicated high-pressure diffractometer. It can be used with both powder and single crystal samples. Powder diffraction studies can be conducted using diamond anvil cells (DACs), Paris-Edinburg presses, clamp cells and gas cells depending on the pressure that is required. 

Neutron Powder Diffraction at the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR), Gaithersberg, Maryland USA

Historically, the powder diffraction instrument BT-1 (https://www.nist.gov/ncnr/high-resolution-powder-diffractometer-bt-1) at the NCNR has provided access to high-quality high-resolution powder diffraction data for structural and other studies. Unfortunately, this reactor source of neutrons is not currently operating, and operations are unlikely to resume before 2026.

Beamlines accepting mail-in proposals for standard, short-turnaround experiments

Several x-ray and neutron powder diffraction beamlines offer mail-in programs, allowing users to mail powder samples to the beamlines for short-turnaround measurements. Mail-in experiments typically require standard instrument configurations and are more limited in scope than general user proposals, but this can still be a great option in many cases, and the beamtime allocation process for mail-in measurements is usually less competitive than for standard proposals. We list below the mail-in programs in the U.S. and Canada of which we are aware.

Advanced Photon Source

• 11-BM high resolution https://11bm.xray.aps.anl.gov/users/mailin
• 17-BM medium resolution https://wiki-ext.aps.anl.gov/srsmailin/index.php?title=SRS_mail-in
• 11-ID-B PDF https://wiki-ext.aps.anl.gov/srsmailin/index.php?title=SRS_mail-in

Spallation Neutron Source

• POWGEN https://neutrons.ornl.gov/powgen/mail-in
• NOMAD https://neutrons.ornl.gov/nomad/mail-in
• SNAP https://neutrons.ornl.gov/snap/mail-in
• VULCAN https://neutrons.ornl.gov/vulcan/mail-in
• HYSPEC https://neutrons.ornl.gov/hyspec/mail-program

High Flux Isotope Reactor

• WAND2 https://neutrons.ornl.gov/wand/mail-in

Advanced Light Source

• BL 7.3.3 https://als.lbl.gov/rapidd/,  https://als.lbl.gov/beamlines/7-3-3/

Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource

• BL 2-1 https://web.slac.stanford.edu/stonegroup/PXRD
• Complementary x-ray absorption spectroscopy at BL 2-2 https://www-ssrl.slac.stanford.edu/ssrl/web/beam-lines/2-2

Canadian Light Source https://brockhouse.lightsource.ca/user-guide/mail-program/

• WLE High resolution
• WHE PDF
• WLE SAXS/WAXS