Combining in situ XAFS, XRD and SAXS to follow the synthesis of cadmium oxide from a hydroxyl gel

Starting with a hydroxyl gel, the synthesis of cadmium oxide has been chart ed using combinations of in situ X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Xray Absorption F ine Structure (XAFS) spectroscopy and Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS). The crystallography, particle size and local structure have been quantified from XRD and XAFS, as the gel converts into cadmium oxide close to 182 deg rees C. The associated microstructure has been deduced from SAXS, which rev eals how cadmium oxide initially grows dendritically in a fractal geometry of nanoparticles, before finally densifying between around 550 degrees C.