MRI: Acquisition of a Multi-Length Scale Ultra High-Resolution X-Ray Nanotomography Instrument

技术摘要：本提案支持购买超高分辨率x射线纳米断层扫描仪（nano-CT）。该仪器支持对厚达100米的样品进行非破坏性的内部三维（3D）成像，分辨率为30纳米，将是美国第一个基于非同步加速器的纳米ct。伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳/香槟分校（UIUC）的47名教师参加了此次活动。在材料科学领域，纳米ct将有助于自修复材料和可拉伸/柔性电路的发展，并将使复杂材料在3D微纳米组件中的完整表征成为可能。在工程领域，纳米ct将改进用于乳腺肿瘤成像的光学相干断层扫描，帮助开发3D纳米制造技术和固体推进剂建模，表征混凝土破裂中的多尺度颗粒/孔隙分布，实现燃料电池的电极优化，支持新型纳米ct造影剂的开发，并使新的超快速断层扫描图像重建算法得以完善。摘要：本提案支持购买一种非常高分辨率的三维x射线成像系统，即纳米断层成像仪（nano-CT）。该仪器可以对厚度为0.1毫米的样品进行无损三维成像，同时分辨宽度小至600个原子直径的特征。在材料科学、生物学、生物工程和其他领域，在制造“纳米尺度”的材料和设备方面正在取得相当大的进展，“纳米尺度”是指比单个原子大一点的尺度。为了在这些领域继续取得进展，能够在比单个原子大得多但比生物细胞小得多的长度尺度上研究材料的三维结构是至关重要的。除了主要的能源部国家设施，这将是美国第一个三维成像的仪器。该仪器的能力有望在材料科学、复杂材料、固体推进剂建模、混凝土断裂研究、燃料电池电极优化等领域产生重大影响，并使三维图像重建的新方法得以改进，从而研究结构的时间依赖性变化。

Technical Abstract:This proposal support the purchase an ultra high-resolution x-ray nanotomography instrument (nano-CT). This instrument, which supports nondestructive internal three-dimensional (3D) imaging of samples as thick as 100 om with 30 nm resolution, would be the first nonsynchrotron-based nano-CT in the US. Forty-seven faculty on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign (UIUC) are participating. Within materials science, the nano-CT will aid the development of self-healing materials and stretchable/flexible circuits, and it will enable complete characterization of complex materials in 3D micro and nanoassemblies. In the areas of engineering, the nano-CT will improve optical coherence tomography for imaging breast tumors, aid the development of 3D nanofabrication technologies and the modeling of solid propellants, characterize multi-scale particle/pore distributions in concrete fracturing, enable electrode optimization for fuel cells, support the development of new nano-CT contrast agents, and enable the refinement of new ultra-fast tomography image reconstruction algorithms.Non-technical Abstract:This proposal support the purchase a very high-resolution three dimensional x-ray imaging system, a nanotomography instrument (nano-CT). This instrument, allows nondestructive three-dimensional (3D) imaging of samples as thick as 0.1 mm while resolving features as small as 600 atomic diameters in width. In the areas of materials science, biology, bio-engineering and other fields, considerable progress is being made in fabricating materials and devices that operate at a "nano-scale", that is, the size regime just larger than single atoms. For progress in these fields to continue it is vital to be able to study the three dimensional structure of materials at that length scale that is much larger than a single atom but much smaller than a biological cell. Outside of major Department of Energy national facilities, this will be the first instrument for this three dimensional imaging in the United States. The capabilities of the instrument are expected to have major impacts in materials science, complex materials, modeling of solid propellants, studies ofconcrete fracture, electrode optimization for fuel cells, and enable the refinement of new methods of three dimensional image reconstruction that can study the time dependent changes in structures.