Basics of X-ray diffraction

X-ray diffraction ( XRD) is the most comprehensive tool to identify minerals in complex mineral assemblages. The method is briefly described with special emphasis on clay and ceramics. As an example, an investigation of graphite- containing pottery sherds by XRD is presented. By comparing the measured XRD data with the patterns simulated by the Rietveld method, the graphite content of such samples could be determined.