Automated Phase Segmentation for Large-Scale X-ray Diffraction Data Using a Graph-Based Phase Segmentation (GPhase) Algorithm

ACS Comb Sci. 2017 Mar 13;19(3):137-144. doi: 10.1021/acscombsci.6b00121. Epub 2017 Feb 10.

Abstract

The creation of composition-processing-structure relationships currently represents a key bottleneck for data analysis for high-throughput experimental (HTE) material studies. Here we propose an automated phase diagram attribution algorithm for HTE data analysis that uses a graph-based segmentation algorithm and Delaunay tessellation to create a crystal phase diagram from high throughput libraries of X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. We also propose the sample-pair based objective evaluation measures for the phase diagram prediction problem. Our approach was validated using 278 diffraction patterns from a Fe-Ga-Pd composition spread sample with a prediction precision of 0.934 and a Matthews Correlation Coefficient score of 0.823. The algorithm was then applied to the open Ni-Mn-Al thin-film composition spread sample to obtain the first predicted phase diagram mapping for that sample.

Keywords: X-ray diffraction; graph segmentation; high-throughput experiments; phase diagram; phase segmentation.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Aluminum / chemistry
  • Computer Graphics
  • Gallium / chemistry
  • Iron / chemistry
  • Manganese / chemistry
  • Metals / chemistry*
  • Nickel / chemistry
  • Palladium / chemistry
  • Phase Transition*
  • X-Ray Diffraction* / methods

Substances

  • Metals
  • Manganese
  • Palladium
  • Nickel
  • Gallium
  • Aluminum
  • Iron