Exploring the nanoworld in real and reciprocal space. Part 1 x-ray and electron diffractions

The articles highlight two of the main characterization techniques that are widely used in materials characterization laboratories, namely, X-ray Diffractometry (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Part 1 of the article focuses on the diffraction while part 2 on imaging aspects of these techniques. The theoretical background for each technique is briefly covered and examples are given to illustrate the use of the techniques in solving some materials-related problem, particularly, for nanostructured systems. (Author)