Diffraction peak profiles broaden due to the smallness of crystallites and the presence of lattice defects. Strain broadening of powders of polycrystalline materials is often anisotropic in terms of the hkl indices. This kind of strain anisotropy has been shown to be well interpreted assuming dislocations as one of the major sources of lattice distortions. The knowledge of the dislocation contrast factors are inevitable for this interoperation. In a previous work the theoretical contrast factors were evaluated for cubic crystals for elastic constants in the Zener constant range 0.5≤Az≤8. A large number of ionic crystals and many refractory metals have elastic anisotropy, Az, well below 0.5. In the present work the contrast factors for this lower anisotropy-constant range are investigated. The calculations and the corresponding peak profile analysis are tested on ball milled PbS and Nb and nanocrystalline CeO2.

Dislocation model of strain anisotropy is presented. The dislocation theorem of strain broadening is suggested which means that strain broadening can only be caused by dislocation-type lattice defects. Based on this theorem strain anisotropy is modeled and accounted for by assuming that strain broadening is caused by dislocations or dislocation-type lattice defects. The effect of strain anisotropy is summarized in hkl dependent dislocation contrast factors, which can be either averaged over the permutations of hkl indices or are different for each different reflection. The dislocation model of strain anisotropy provides a powerful tool to analyze slip activity, Burgers vector populations, and plasticity on the basis of line profile analysis.