Dear colleague Bakr,
Crystallite Size is Different than Particle Size. A particle may be made up of several different crystallites or just one crystallite so in this case (particle size = crystallite size)
Crystallite size often matches grain size, but there are exceptions
Crystallites are coherent diffraction domains in X-ray diffraction.
Particles are chunks/pieces (usually very small, below 1 mm) of solid matter, ensembles of atoms. Particles can be as small as two atoms (the nitrogen particle for example, N2)
Grains are volumes, inside crystalline materials, with a specific orientation.
Particles can be polycrystalline, single crystal or amorphous. A 100 nanometer particle of gold, for instance, can be made of:
a single gold crystal,
many grains with a grain size
Thank you Dr. Nabeel for this question. Grain Size and Crystalline size are the same. Particle size is related to the size of many grains or crystals combined in one particle.
please find in this link the same question with answers
https://www.researchgate.net/post/Can_anyone_clarify_the_difference_between_Grain_size_particle_size_and_crystallite_size/1
What ever I think particle size may be greater than or equal to crystal size, because particles are made up of number of crystal.
Dear colleague Bakr,
Crystallite Size is Different than Particle Size. A particle may be made up of several different crystallites or just one crystallite so in this case (particle size = crystallite size)
Crystallite size often matches grain size, but there are exceptions
Crystallites are coherent diffraction domains in X-ray diffraction.
Particles are chunks/pieces (usually very small, below 1 mm) of solid matter, ensembles of atoms. Particles can be as small as two atoms (the nitrogen particle for example, N2)
Grains are volumes, inside crystalline materials, with a specific orientation.
Particles can be polycrystalline, single crystal or amorphous. A 100 nanometer particle of gold, for instance, can be made of:
a single gold crystal,
many grains with a grain size
The simple answer can be as follow:
Particle (agglomeration of some grains) => Grain (ensemble of some crystallites and sometimes consists of a single crystalline material) => Crystallite (is the smallest and can be mono- or poly-crystalline)
One can consider crystallite and grain size to be approximately the same. It is important to note that a grain consists of a single material, but maybe crystalline, or polycrystalline.
For a complete characterization, you may need to use a TEM with additional analytical tools. But you can distinguish single-crystal grains from polycrystalline grains by switch the mode to diffraction: a single crystal grain will form a sharp diffraction pattern associated with that material, the transform of the crystal structure, while the polycrystalline grains will have multiple copies of the pattern, perhaps even rings. When you get to the particle size, it is always the largest, and may consist of several grains, and perhaps even grains of different materials. You will spend some time with your local microscopists in order to complete the characterization.
The average crystallite size can be determined using the Scherrer equation, the grain morphology is commonly determined by SEM, and the particle size can be estimated from TEM image.
Also please note that Sherrer's formula is an approximation, and works best for nearly spherical particles. You will obtain the best results from TEM or AFM, especially for very small, or irregular shapes.
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