Synchrotron‐radiation computed tomography has been applied in many research fields. Here, PITRE (Phase‐sensitive X‐ray Image processing and Tomography REconstruction) and PITRE_BM (PITRE Batch ...Manager) are presented. PITRE supports phase retrieval for propagation‐based phase‐contrast imaging/tomography (PPCI/PPCT), extracts apparent absorption, refractive and scattering information of diffraction enhanced imaging (DEI), and allows parallel‐beam tomography reconstruction for conventional absorption CT data and for PPCT phase retrieved and DEI‐CT extracted information. PITRE_BM is a batch processing manager for PITRE: it executes a series of tasks, created viaPITRE, without manual intervention. Both PITRE and PITRE_BM are coded in Interactive Data Language (IDL), and have a user‐friendly graphical user interface. They are freeware and can run on Microsoft Windows systems via IDL Virtual Machine, which can be downloaded for free and does not require a license. The data‐processing principle and some examples of application will be presented.
Investigating the evolution of the hierarchical crystalline structure in the injection-molded polymer is instructive to better understand the process–structure relationship, which is critical for the ...design and manufacture of polymeric products with high performance. A nondestructive and quantitative method based on small-angle X-ray scattering microtomography (SAXS-CT) was developed to reveal the three-dimensional distribution and evolution of the hierarchical crystalline structure in injection-molded polylactide (PLA). Spatial distributions of the oriented lamella and morphological parameters in the bulk PLA parts with different shear durations have been successfully mapped and quantitatively analyzed, which were further confirmed by scanning electronic microscopy. The effect of oscillation shear flow on the evolution of the hierarchical crystalline structure has been revealed successfully. The method based on SAXS-CT may provide a reliable tool for the establishment of the relationship between the process technology and the inner structure of the injection-molded polymer.
This paper introduces some latest developments regarding the X-ray imaging methodology and applications of the X-ray imaging and biomedical application beamline (BL13W1) at Shanghai Synchrotron ...Radiation Facility in the past 5 years. The photon energy range of the beamline is 8–72.5 keV. Several sets of X-ray imaging detectors with different pixel sizes (0.19–24 μm) are used to realize X-ray microcomputed tomography (X-ray micro-CT) and X-ray in-line phase-contrast imaging. To satisfy the requirements of user experiments, new X-ray imaging methods and image processing techniques are developed. In vivo dynamic micro-CT experiments with living insects are performed in 0.5 s (sampling rate of 2 Hz, 2 tomograms/s) with a monochromatic beam from a wiggler source and in 40 ms (sampling rate of 25 Hz, 25 tomograms/s) with a white beam from a bending magnet source. A new X-ray imaging method known as move contrast X-ray imaging is proposed, with which blood flow and moving tissues in raw images can be distinguished according to their moving frequencies in the time domain. Furthermore, X-ray speckle-tracking imaging with twice exposures to eliminate the edge enhancement effect is developed. A high-precision quantification method is realized to measure complex three-dimensional blood vessels obtained via X-ray micro-CT. X-ray imaging methods such as three-dimensional X-ray diffraction microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering CT, and X-ray fluorescence CT are developed, in which the X-ray micro-CT imaging method is combined with other contrast mechanisms such as diffraction, scattering, and fluorescence contrasts respectively. Moreover, an X-ray nano-CT experiment is performed with a 100 nm spatial resolution. Typical user experimental results from the fields of material science, biomedicine, paleontology, physics, chemistry, and environmental science obtained on the beamline are provided.
The deformation behavior of particles under pressure dominates the mechanical properties of solid dosage forms. In this study, the in situ 3D deformation of two polymorphs (I and II) of clopidogrel ...bisulfate (CLP) was determined to illustrate pressure distribution profiles within the tablet by the deformation of the crystalline particles for the first time. Synchrotron radiation X-ray computed microtomography (SR-μCT) was utilized to visualize and quantify the morphology of thousands crystalline particles of CLP I and CLP II before and after compression. As a result, the deformation was examined across scale dimensions from microns to the size of the final dosage form. Three dimensional parameters such as volume, sphericity, oblate and prolate of individual particle and distributions were computed and analyzed for quantitative comparison to CLP I and CLP II. The different degrees of deformation under the same compression conditions of CLP I and CLP II were observed and characterized quantitatively. The map of deformation degrees within the tablet illustrated the heterogeneous pressure distribution in various regions of the compacted tablet. In conclusion, the polymorph deformation behaviors demonstrated by SR-μCT quantitative structure analysis deepen understanding of tableting across dimensions from microns to millimeters for the macrostrcuture of tablet.
The angioarchitecture is a fundamental aspect of brain development and physiology. However, available imaging tools are unsuited for non-destructive cerebral mapping of the functionally important ...three-dimensional (3D) vascular microstructures. To address this issue, we developed an ultra-high resolution 3D digitalized angioarchitectural map for rat brain, based on synchrotron radiation phase contrast imaging (SR-PCI) with pixel size of 5.92 μm. This approach provides a systematic and detailed view of the cerebrovascular anatomy at the micrometer level without any need for contrast agents. From qualitative and quantitative perspectives, the present 3D data provide a considerable insight into the spatial vascular network for whole rodent brain, particularly for functionally important regions of interest, such as the hippocampus, pre-frontal cerebral cortex and the corpus striatum. We extended these results to synchrotron-based virtual micro-endoscopy, thus revealing the trajectory of targeted vessels in 3D. The SR-PCI method for systematic visualization of cerebral microvasculature holds considerable promise for wider application in life sciences, including 3D micro-imaging in experimental models of neurodevelopmental and vascular disorders.
Doped elements in alloys significantly impact their performance. Conventional methods usually sputter the surface material of the sample, or their performance is limited to the surface of alloys ...owing to their poor penetration ability. The X-ray K-edge subtraction (KES) method exhibits great potential for the nondestructive in situ detection of element contents in alloys. However, the signal of doped elements usually deteriorates because of the strong absorption of the principal component and scattering of crystal grains. This in turn prevents the extensive application of X-ray KES imaging to alloys. In this study, methods were developed to calibrate the linearity between the grayscale of the KES image and element content. The methods were aimed at the sensitive analysis of elements in alloys. Furthermore, experiments with phantoms and alloys demonstrated that, after elaborate calibration, X-ray KES imaging is capable of nondestructive and sensitive analysis of doped elements in alloys.
Polymorphism denotes the existence of more than one crystal structure of a substance, and great practical and theoretical interest for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. In many cases, it is ...challenging to produce a pure crystal form and establish a sensitive detection method for the identification of crystal form in a mixture of polymorphs. In this study, an accurate and sensitive method based on synchrotron radiation X-ray computed microtomography (SR-μCT) was devised to identify the polymorphs of clopidogrel bisulphate (CLP). After 3D reconstruction, crystal particles were extracted and dozens of structural parameters were calculated. Whilst, the particle shapes of the two crystal forms were all irregular, the surface of CLP II was found to be rougher than CLP I. In order to classify the crystal form based on the quantitative morphological property of particles, Volume Bias Percentage based on Surface Smoothing (VBP) was defined and a new method based on VBP was successfully developed, with a total matching rate of 99.91% for 4544 particles and a lowest detectable limit of 1%. More important for the mixtures in solid pharmaceutical formulations, the interference of excipients can be avoided, a feature cannot achieved by other available analytical methods.
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