For many materials the direction (or orientation) of the crystal planes impacts the overall properties. The simplest example is the difference between a single-crystalline and polycrystalline sample. But even polycrystalline samples need not be completely random; some crystalline planes may preferentially align with certain directions. Such a sample is said to be oriented or textured. Orientation influences grain boundaries, mechanical and electrical properties, and more. We will discuss X-ray scattering, electron microscopy and other methods available in the MCL that can be used to determine orientation of crystalline domains across a range of materials.
