Properties of Crystalline Materials by X-ray Diffraction Methods and Symmetry Groups: A Practical Approach

This book is a fundamental work for those seeking to understand the structure and properties of crystalline materials from a rigorous and systematic approach. Its coverage, which ranges from the physical principles of X-rays to structural refinement using the Rietveld method, provides a solid theoretical and practical foundation. The inclusion of symmetry group analysis and the study of elasticity reinforce its value in areas such as electronics and engineering. With an educational and precise approach, this work becomes an indispensable reference for materials characterization.

John Fernando Zapata Mesa has a B.Sc. in theoretical physics, an M.Sc. in elementary particle physics, and a Ph.D. in materials engineering. He completed his postdoctoral stay in quantum mechanics, addressing the problem of quantum confinement in semiconductor heterostructures. He obtained all degrees at the University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia. He has been working at the University of Envigado for 17 years and is a full professor attached to the Faculty of Engineering.

His most recent research deals with the characterization of cementitious materials, the study of confinement in semiconductor heterostructures, and the modeling and simulation of physical phenomena at the macro and microstructure level and at the quantum level. Now he focuses on the study of the properties of materials from the study of their symmetries in the case of crystalline materials and methods of quantification of the amorphous phase in non-crystalline materials. For this purpose, he uses artificial intelligence tools, and tools such as the modified Rietveld method, FTIR modeling and Raman spectroscopy complemented with thermal analysis methods such as DSC and TGA techniques.