X-ray diffraction (XRD) of nanoencapsulated food ingredients

Abstract X-ray diffraction (XRD), as a nondestructive method, has been widely utilized to attain precise information about the physicochemical attributes of materials (i.e., amorphous/crystalline structures, crystalline lattice parameters, composition profile, etc.). Considering the angstrom range of XRD wavelengths, and their extreme energy for penetrating at an atomic level, this technique has been introduced as an efficient tool to investigate various properties of nanomaterials and nanostructures. This chapter presents an overview of XRD instrumentation, specimen preparation, and its specific application for investigation of nanoencapsulated food ingredients.