A combined fit of total scattering and extended x-ray absorption fine structure data for local-structure determination in crystalline materials
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
- NIST
- ISIS, UK
Reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) refinements of local structure using a simultaneous fit of X-ray/neutron total scattering and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data were developed to incorporate an explicit treatment of both single- and multiple-scattering contributions to EXAFS. The refinement algorithm, implemented as an extension to the public domain computer software RMCProfile, enables accurate modeling of EXAFS over distances encompassing several coordination shells around the absorbing species. The approach was first tested on Ni, which exhibits extensive multiple scattering in EXAFS, and then applied to perovskite-like SrAl{sub 1/2}Nb{sub 1/2}O{sub 3}. This compound crystal1izes with a cubic double-perovskite structure but presents a challenge for local-structure determination using a total pair-distribution function (PDF) alone because of overlapping peaks of the constituent partial PDFs (e.g. Al-O and Nb-O or Sr-O and O-O). The results obtained here suggest that the combined use of the total scattering and EXAFS data provides sufficient constraints for RMC refinements to recover fine details of local structure in complex perovskites. Among other results, it was found that the probability density distribution for Sr in SrAl{sub 1/2}Nb{sub 1/2}O{sub 3} adopts T{sub d} point-group symmetry for the Sr sites, determined by the ordered arrangement of Al and Nb, as opposed to a spherical distribution commonly assumed in traditional Rietveld refinements.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC52-06NA25396
- OSTI ID:
- 973184
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-09-06800; LA-UR-09-6800; JACGAR; TRN: US201006%%307
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Crystallography, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Crystallography; ISSN 0021-8898
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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