A new Cu Kα₂-elimination algorithm

This paper presents a new algorithm to remove the Cu Kα₂ profile in X-ray powder diffraction patterns. Previous algorithms for α₂ elimination can be divided into two categories. The first category assumes the shape identity of the α₁ and α₂ components. The second category uses parameters by fitting experimental data. The first category is not accurate and the second one is instrument-dependent. The algorithm presented here uses the Cu Kα emission profile obtained from monolithic double-crystal measurements. Therefore, it is more accurate and less instrument-dependent than the previous methods. This algorithm has been tested and applied in software for diffraction data processing. The present method can be extended to remove Kα₂ lines of other radiations.