The kinetics of phase transitions observed by energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction

A new energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDXD) method to study the kineti cs of the phase transitions (PTs) is reviewed. It enables one to follow the evolution of systems undergoing structural transformations in real time. I t is based on a novel approach to PTs and provides several advantages with respect to the conventional techniques used for the same purpose. A detaile d treatment of the theory is accomplished to demonstrate the consistency an d reliability of this method. Despite the initial complexity of the subject that involves the interactions between X-ray and matter, just very simple measurements are required. Furthermore, the data processing is trivial and the relevant information on the PTs can be straightforwardly obtained from the X-ray spectra. The applications of the EDXD-PT method to the systems st udied until now, namely polymeric, biological and mineralogical samples, ar e finally reported.