X-ray diffraction of iron containing samples : The importance of a suitable configuration

X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a commonly used technology to identify crystalline phases. However, care must be taken with the combination of XRD configuration and sample. Copper (most commonly used radiation source) is a poor match with iron containing materials due to induced fluorescence. Magnetite and maghemite are analysed in different configurations using copper or cobalt radiation. Results show the effects of fluorescence repressing measures and the superiority of diffractograms obtained with cobalt radiation. Diffractograms obtained with copper radiation make incontestable phase identification often impossible. Cobalt radiation on the other hand yields high quality diffractograms, making phase identification straightforward