X-ray powder diffraction is a method that allows the characterization of materials and the study of polycrystalline materials. As the method is based on the periodic arrangement of the crystals, scattering and interference of the X-rays on the periodic structure, it is a non-destructive method, and the sample can be used for further analysis.
The main objective of the thesis was to identify the crystal phases in different types of cement and quarry aggregates. I was interested in the extent to which the substances in different types of cement differ from each other in terms of their application. I analyzed fifteen different samples – five samples of quarry aggregates and ten samples of cement – from Salonit Anhovo, whose cements can be bought in shops with building supplies or on their website.
Diffraction patterns of the samples were taken with a PANalytical X'Pert PRO X-ray powder diffractometer. After obtaining the powder patterns, the comparison of the samples was carried out by using X'Pert HighScore Plus and further qualitative analysis using Crystallographica Search-Match. In this program, the powder patterns of the samples were compared with those of the standards in the PDF-2 database.
With my analysis I confirmed the main components of the cement, but I was less successful in identifying some of the additives. This is due to the presence of very small amounts of each substance, consequently they were not visible in the diffractogram. It may also be because the substance is in an amorphous form. The results of the analysis matched the composition on the website.
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