Rietveld and Pair Distribution Function (PDF) analysis School 2025

In crystallography, the Rietveld method revolutionized the way in which we study the structure of materials to understand their properties. It is the aim of this intensive course to impart the Rietveld method in theory and practice. Using selected examples the entire process from profile fitting using fundamental parameters towards crystal structure determination and refinement will be explained. Now more than ever, it is important to consider structure characterization methods for nanostructured and amorphous materials that diffract poorly. This workshop will also serve as an introduction to the pair distribution function (PDF) method, a technique for determining the local structure in disordered materials. We will cover the basic theory of the method, data processing, and an in-depth tutorial on structure refinement implemented in TOPAS v.7.