X-ray powder diffraction allows for rapid, non-destructive analysis of multi-component mixtures. Powder diffraction allows fast identification crystalline solids, each of which produces a distinctive diffraction pattern. Careful data analysis using Reitveld refinements allow extraction of atomic coordinates, unit cell size and size and shape of nanocrystallites. X-ray powder diffraction is essential in the investigation of the nanocrystalline samples produce by supercritical synthesis