The properties of a material are often determined by its phase composition, rather than simply related to its elemental composition. Therefore, it is crucial to analyze the phase composition of materials, and X-ray diffraction is widely utilized as one of the primary methods for phase analysis. Each substance has a unique diffraction spectrum corresponding to it, and the diffraction spectrum of a heterogeneous substance is simply a superposition of the diffraction spectra of each individual phase. This paper uses cement, a complex multiphase material, as an example to demonstrate the role of X-ray diffraction in phase analysis.

Quantitative phase analysis of cement clinker using Rietveld method without standard sample is currently the most effective approach for determining the mineral phases present. This method combines X-ray diffraction and Rietveld analysis to not only determine the main mineral phase content in the material, but also to obtain information on polycrystalline content and trace phases such as free calcium.