Combined X-Ray Fluorescence and Absorption CT (XRF-CT) imager for non-destructive 3D elemental/structural analysis on the microscopic scale.

In several scientific disicplines (environmental and life sciences, toxicology, cosmo chemistry, geochemistry, archeology, electronics), there is an increasing demand for the development of non-destructive techniques for spatial distribution of elements within the material to be examined, along with the internal morphology thereof on the micrometer scale, may be determined in situ. The recent developments in the field of micro-XRF and computer-tomographic imaging is such a combination for the first time a real possibility. This project aims at the development / construction of a unique XRF-CT microscope for non-destructive 3D elemental and structural imaging at micron level, which is applicable in various scientific fields. The instrument will be the absorption micro-CT technology, the merits of which have already been proven, combined with the novel full-field X-rays fluorescence (XRF) imaging, based on a unique two-dimensional (2D) energy-dispersive detection system, developed for non- element-destructive micro-analysis. The XRF instrument CT will be linked to specific sample environments.