Comparison Between BB and PB X-ray Diffraction Modes on Solid Indium

We probed the crystal structure of solid Indium using wide angle x-ray scattering in two different modes: Bragg-Brentano (BB) mode and parallel beam (PB) mode. While BB mode gave more peaks due to its larger initial intensity, both modes were able to identify ten major peaks corresponding to different reflection planes. The crystal structure of Indium was determined to be body centered tetragonal with lattice parameters a=b=3.25Å and c=4.95Å and alpha=beta=gamma=90°. We concluded that, despite there being a better signal to noise ratio using the PB mode, both modes are suitable for identifying a material at room temperature.