Cation ordering in NiAl₂O₄ spinel by a 111 systematic row CBED technique

A focussed probe wide angle systematic row CBED technique has been used to determine the degree of cation inversion, i.e. the magnitude of the cation ordering parameter x, in (Ni(1-x)Al(x)) [Ni(x/2)Al(1-x/2)]₂O₄ spinel to an estimated accuracy of ±0.1. For comparison purposes, the same technique has also been applied to an MgCr₂O₄ spinel (where very little cation inversion is expected). The simplicity of this CBED technique in conjunction with the fact that the experimental data can be obtained from small illuminated areas several tens to 100 nm in diameter, suggests that it may be a very useful technique for estimating the extent of cation inversion in multi-phase mineralogical specimens containing spinels.