Advances in texture analysis from diffraction spectra

The orientation distribution of a textured polycrystal has been traditionally determined from a few individual pole figures of lattice planes hkl, measured by X-ray or neutron diffraction. A new method is demonstrated that uses the whole diffraction spectrum, rather than extracted peak intensities, by combining ODF calculation with Rietveld crystal structure refinement. With this method, which is illustrated for a synthetic calcite texture, it is possible to obtain quantitative texture information from highly incomplete pole figures and regions of the diffraction spectrum with many overlapping peaks. The approach promises to be advantageous for low-symmetry compounds and composites with complicated diffraction spectra. The method is particularly elegant for time-of-flight neutron diffraction, saving beam time by using small pole-figure regions and many diffractions.