TY - JOUR
T1 - Laboratory x-ray nano-computed tomography for biomedical research
AU - Dreier, Till
AU - Krüger, Robin
AU - Bernström, Gustaf
AU - Tran-Lundmark, Karin
AU - Gonçalves, Isabel
AU - Bech, Martin
PY - 2024/10
Y1 - 2024/10
N2 - High-resolution x-ray tomography is a common technique for biomedical research using synchrotron sources. With advancements in laboratory x-ray sources, an increasing number of experiments can be performed in the lab. In this paper, the design, implementation, and verification of a laboratory setup for x-ray nano-computed tomography is presented using a nano-focus x-ray source and high geometric magnification not requiring any optical elements. Comparing a scintillator-based detector to a photon counting detector shows a clear benefit of using photon counting detectors for these applications, where the flux of the x-ray source is limited and samples have low contrast. Sample contrast is enhanced using propagation-based phase contrast. The resolution of the system is verified using 2D resolution charts and using Fourier Ring Correlation on reconstructed CT slices. Evaluating noise and contrast highlights the benefits of photon counting detectors and the contrast improvement through phase contrast. The implemented setup is capable of reaching sub-micron resolution and satisfying contrast in biological samples, like paraffin embedded tissue.
AB - High-resolution x-ray tomography is a common technique for biomedical research using synchrotron sources. With advancements in laboratory x-ray sources, an increasing number of experiments can be performed in the lab. In this paper, the design, implementation, and verification of a laboratory setup for x-ray nano-computed tomography is presented using a nano-focus x-ray source and high geometric magnification not requiring any optical elements. Comparing a scintillator-based detector to a photon counting detector shows a clear benefit of using photon counting detectors for these applications, where the flux of the x-ray source is limited and samples have low contrast. Sample contrast is enhanced using propagation-based phase contrast. The resolution of the system is verified using 2D resolution charts and using Fourier Ring Correlation on reconstructed CT slices. Evaluating noise and contrast highlights the benefits of photon counting detectors and the contrast improvement through phase contrast. The implemented setup is capable of reaching sub-micron resolution and satisfying contrast in biological samples, like paraffin embedded tissue.
KW - Computerized Tomography (CT) and Computed Radiography (CR)
KW - Inspection with x-rays
KW - X-ray generators and sources
U2 - 10.1088/1748-0221/19/10/P10021
DO - 10.1088/1748-0221/19/10/P10021
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85207099243
SN - 1748-0221
VL - 19
JO - Journal of Instrumentation
JF - Journal of Instrumentation
IS - 10
M1 - P10021
ER -