SBIR Phase I: 3D Correlative CT/XRF Microscopy with Sub-micron Resolution and PPM Elemental Sensitivity

该小企业创新研究计划（SBIR）第一阶段项目旨在开发相关X射线成像和分析显微镜的技术，该显微镜能够产生样品亚微米分辨率的三维图像，并随后选择性地探测该体积的点或区域以获取元素（化学）信息。虽然商业解决方案（X射线显微断层扫描）已经存在，以获得高分辨率的3-D图像，这些图像只显示了灰度质量密度表示的样品。没有关于样品是由哪些化合物和元素制成的信息。该研究的重点是展示将X射线荧光能力添加到X射线成像中的能力，以非常高的最终灵敏度（百万分之一）明确识别元素组成，重点是将元素测量与样品的3D X射线图像中的位置精确关联。学术研究领域和工业用途对这种互补能力的需求越来越大，以实现目标应用。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是为自然资源领域开发更节能、更环保的提取和加工技术。第一批客户来自采矿研发和工业细分市场，通过提供相关样品并帮助定义最终系统要求和规格，直接为研究做出贡献。这些客户在过去几年中非常迅速地采用了高分辨率X射线成像，实现了在提取和纯化贵重物品过程中的各个阶段对矿石样品进行成像的固有优势。虽然这种能力已经有助于开发更好、更有效的提取工艺，但获得元素和化学信息的分析能力对于继续取得进展至关重要。新技术的明显好处是，通过提高效率和更好地利用现有资源，使贵重物品不进入废物流，从而在提取过程中节省能源。作为一个间接的后果，这导致长期较低的商品价格和普遍较高的生活水平。但是，这项研究的相关性进一步扩展到生命科学、材料科学以及所有需要成像和分析能力的领域。

This Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) Phase I project aims at developing the technology for a correlative x-ray imaging and analytical microscope that is able to produce 3-dimensional images with sub-micrometer resolution of samples and subsequently probe points or areas of this volume selectively for elemental (chemical) information. While commercial solutions (x-ray micro-tomography) already exist to obtain the high resolution 3-D images, these images only show a grey-scale mass density representation of the sample. No information about which compounds and elements the sample is made out of is available. The research focuses on demonstrating the ability to add an x-ray fluorescence capability to the x-ray imaging to unambiguously identify the elemental makeup with very high ultimate sensitivity (parts per million) with a focus on correlating exactly the elemental measurement with the location in the 3-D x-ray image of the sample. There is a growing need for this complementary capability both in the academic research area and in industrial use for targeted applications.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is to enable the development of more energy efficient and environmentally friendly extraction and processing techniques for the natural resource sector. The first set of customers, directly contributing to the research by providing relevant samples and helping in defining the ultimate system requirements and specifications, come from the mining R&D and industrial market segment. These customers have adopted high-resolution x-ray imaging very rapidly in the past few years, realizing the inherent advantage of imaging ore samples at various stages during the process of extracting and purifying the valuables. While this capability is already helping to develop better, more efficient extraction processes, an analytical capability to get elemental and chemical information is becoming essential for continued progress. Obvious benefits from the availability of the new technology will be energy savings in the extraction processes by increasing efficiency and better use of available resources by not allowing valuables to enter the waste stream. As an indirect consequence, this leads long term to lower commodity prices and a general higher living standard. But the relevance of the research extends much further into areas of life science, material science and all areas requiring imaging and analytical capabilities.