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X-ray Diffraction

d-spacing and hkl Planes

Miller HKL planes

A crystal can be divided into crystallographic planes. These planes can be identified by using the Miller indexing system, where an (hkl) plane is described by:

• h= 1/x-intercept

• k = 1/y-intercept

• l = 1/z-intercept

The spacings between sets of parallel planes determine where peaks occur in a diffraction pattern.