Pair distribution function

Describes the distribution of distances between pairs of particles contained within a given volume
The pair distribution function describes the distribution of distances between pairs of particles contained within a given volume. Mathematically, if a and b are two particles, the pair distribution function of b with respect to a, denoted by is the probability of finding the particle b at distance from a, with a taken as the origin of coordinates.

When thin films are disordered, as they are in electronic devices, pair distribution is used so to view the strain and structure properties of that material or composition. They have these properties that cannot be exploited in the bulk or crystalline form. There is a method with the radial distribution that is able to view the local structure of a disordered thin film of GeSe2. But the creators of this method called a need for a better method to view the mid range order of disordered films. The creation of thin film Pair Distribution Function (tfPDF) uses a statistical distribution of a material’s mid range order that enables viewing important details like the disorder. In this technique, 2D data from a scattering method is integrated and Fourier transformed into 1D data that shows the probability of bonds in that material. TfPDF works best when in conjunction with other characterization methods like transmission electron microscopy. Although a developing methodology, tfPDF can give complete structure property relationships through a reliable characterization technique.