Training structure
Joint Continuing Education Office, Montpellier-Sète University Institute of Technology
Presentation
This short course is divided into three tracks corresponding to three different skill levels. One or more tracks can be taken during the same training session:
- Beginner level: fundamentals and techniques related to powder X-ray diffraction and compound identification
- Intermediate level: fundamental concepts and techniques for extracting structural parameters
- Advanced level: structural characterization and application to various types of solids (organic, inorganic, and hybrid)
Objectives
- Perform X-ray diffraction measurements on inorganic, organic, or hybrid compounds in powder form
- Analyze a powder X-ray diffractogram (qualitative, (semi)quantitative)
- Extract mesh parameters, determine the space group, and perform a refinement using the Le Bail method
- Establish structural models and refine them using the Rietveld method
Program
Full course: 45 hours (6 days)
Course by level: 15 hours (2 days)
The program can be tailored to the participants’ needs. The solutions explored during the hands-on exercises may be based on real-world scenarios suggested by the participants prior to the training.
BEGINNER LEVEL: 2 DAYS (15 hours)
- Atoms - Matter-X-ray Interaction
- Generation of X-rays for diffraction
- X-ray diffraction techniques
- Review of crystallography concepts: sample type (crystal, glass-ceramic, amorphous)
- Overview of a powder X-ray diffractometer using Bragg-Brentano geometry
- Sample preparation and data acquisition
- Use of software for processing diffraction data (DIFRRAC.EVA) and use of existing databases (ICDD and COD).
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL: 2 DAYS (15 hours)
- Review of crystallography concepts
- Principle of diffraction pattern measurement & the Bail method
- Sample preparation
- Synthesis (organic, inorganic, or hybrid compounds)
- Refinement of X-ray diffraction patterns of powder samples: single-phase compounds and simple mixtures using the Le Bail method
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL: 2 DAYS (15 hours)
- Review of crystallography concepts and instrumental parameters
- Principles of the Rietveld method: determination of structural models, refinement of diffractograms, and quantification of complex mixtures
Admission
Target audience
Technicians, engineers, and doctoral students.
Tuition fees
Training fees:
- Full course:
€2,800 (with financial aid)
€1,200 (self-funded) - Training by level
: €1,200 (with funding)
: €600 (self-funded)
Mandatory prerequisites
Prerequisite: A two-year college degree
Recommended professional experience: in the field of solid-state chemistry