A dual-space approach, combining Rietveld and pair distribution function (PDF) analyses, has been applied to temperature-dependent synchrotron X-ray total scattering data collected on vapor diffusion sol–gel derived CaMoO4 nanocrystals. A sharp transition in Ca–O bond distances in the range of 151–163 K was identified by PDF analysis, which is attributed to the thermal activation of rotational disorder associated with the rigid MoO4 tetrahedra.
