Debye Function Analysis of Nanomaterials of Interest for Health and Biosciences

Powder diffraction patterns from nanosized materials typically show both Bragg and diffuse scattering. Both signals can be simultaneously modelled by the Total Scattering Technique relying on the Debye equation, whose pattern simulation is obtained, regardless of any long range order of the atomic structure, by considering all the interatomic distances within the nanoparticles. The most relevant differences between the Debye Function approach and the more conventional Rietveld-like methods are outlined along with some recent "tricks" overcoming the problem of extremely long computational times. Debye Function Analysis is a powerful tool for characterizing nanocrystalline materials in terms of crystal structure, size, shape and defects information. A number of different materials can be investigated which are of great interest for biological and medical applications (diagnosis, drug delivery, regenerative medicine). Some cases of study are illustrated.