X-ray Diffraction Data Analysis by Machine Learning Methods—A Review

X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a proven, powerful technique for determining the phase composition, structure, and microstructural features of crystalline materials. The use of machine learning (ML) techniques applied to crystalline materials research has increased significantly over the last decade. This review presents a survey of the scientific literature on applications of ML to XRD data analysis. Publications suitable for inclusion in this review were identified using the “machine learning X-ray diffraction” search term, keeping only English-language publications in which ML was employed to analyze XRD data specifically. The selected publications covered a wide range of applications, including XRD classification and phase identification, lattice and quantitative phase analyses, and detection of defects and substituents, as well as microstructural material characterization. Current trends in the field suggest that future efforts pertaining to the application of ML techniques to XRD data analysis will address shortcomings of ML approaches related to data quality and availability, interpretability of the results and model generalizability and robustness. Additionally, future research will likely incorporate more domain knowledge and physical constraints, integrate with quantum physical methods, and apply techniques like real-time data analysis and high-throughput screening to accelerate the discovery of tailored novel materials.