ISSN: 1546-962X
CODEN: JAIOAD
Published Online: 30 August 2006
Page Count: 10

The Monitoring of Crystallite Size By an X-Ray Method Applicable to the Processing and Synthesis of Micron-Sized Powders

Johnson, LA
Senior ScientistAdjunct Professor, Reaction Sciences, Inc.Raritan Valley Community College, Long BranchNorth Branch, NJNJ

McCauley, RA
Professor, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ

(Received 17 October 2005; accepted 26 June 2006)

Abstract

An X-ray method for determining the crystallite size of powders is presented that aids in a quick monitoring of powder processing and synthesis of micron-sized powders. The method is helpful in the range of tens of microns to micron sizes. The excellent counting statistics of the X-ray method compares favorably over microscopic methods in its efficiency and ability to characterize the powder in terms of its crystallite size. An albite (NaAlSi₃O₈) powder that originally showed a distribution of grain sizes was ball milled to a uniform micron size and micron-sized forsterite (Mg₂SiO₄) was synthesized by a solid-state method using ball milling for mixing of reactants.

Keywords:
crystallite size measurement, X-ray diffraction, ball milling, albite, forsterite

Paper ID: JAI100275
DOI: 10.1520/JAI100275
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