The powder diffraction file: Past, present, and future

Abstract

The Powder Diffraction file has been the primary reference for Powder Diffraction Data for more than half a century. The file is a collection of about 65 000 reduced powder patterns stored as sets of d/I data along with the appropriate crystallographic, physical and experimental information. This paper reviews the development and growth of the PDF and discusses the role of the ICDD in the maintenance and dissemination of the file.