I have been working quite a bit with using XRD and FT-IR for characterization. I find the FT-IR graphs a little more straightforward to read, but by matching the peaks to graphs from other papers I can verify that I do have the same material.
For example the following pictures compare the CoMgAl, that I synthesized by stirring Mg2Al – LDH for five days with CoCl2, to the CoMgAl LDH from the Richardson and Braterman paper. By matching the peaks it seems that the CoMgAl LDH I synthesized matches the CoMgAl from the paper
CoMgAl LDH I synthesized by stirring Mg2Al LDH with CoCl*6H2O for five days
The CoMgAl LDH from the Richardson and Braterman paper.
Richardson, M. C., & Braterman, P. S. (2009). Cation exchange by anion-exchanging clays: the effects of particle aging. Journal of Materials Chemistry, 19(42), 7965. https://doi.org/10.1039/b908516e
However, sometimes it is not as straightforward or as easy to see. In the graph below the signal to noise ratio was lower and there is an additional peak at around 18 cm-1 which indicates that something else is in the powder that underwent the XRD. So, I then have to find XRD graphs that would show what it may be, if cobalt oxide or magnesium oxide or some other side reaction occurred to create one of these substances.
