Strategic equipment bid: Ultra high-resolution 3D and 4D X-ray imaging

该设备的目的是促进广泛的多学科研究，发展新的合作和新的研究领域，努力应对制造、能源材料和生命科学等领域的国家和全球挑战。与越来越强大的计算能力相关的各种材料的三维、无损表征，对于开发新材料、设备和医疗技术以及开发减少温室气体排放的破坏性影响的新方法正变得越来越重要。X射线计算机层析成像，也称为CT扫描，是一种使用X射线显示穿过固体三维物体的横截面的技术。我们的计划是获得最高分辨率的商用CT扫描仪，也就是众所周知的蔡司Versa 620 X射线显微镜。该设备可以分析异常大的物体，这使得它可以用于研究整个设备，并允许将测试台(例如，样品加热或流动)放置在样品室中，从而使设备具有4维能力(即，研究材料的时变特性)。该设备还能够确定小至20微米的颗粒的织构，即多晶样品的晶体取向分布；这称为衍射对比层析成像。Versa 620是唯一可以进行衍射对比层析成像的商用、基于实验室的CT扫描仪。该设备与EPSRC的X射线断层扫描路线图紧密相连，它将增加英国的能力，具有尽可能高的空间分辨率(能够对小至500纳米的物品进行成像)，改善CT设备的地理分布，进一步建立断层扫描用户社区，并通过衍射对比断层扫描能力为英国的CT扫描仪设备基地提供主要补充。利物浦大学是Versa 620的理想基地，因为在材料和医疗技术方面正在进行重大投资，并且有来自工程、材料科学、化学、物理、能源技术、健康和生命科学领域的大量身份用户。构成设备招标基础的三个主要研究领域是制造、能源和医疗技术。计划在制造中使用该设备进行研究的一个例子将是为汽车和航空航天工业描述可添加制造的、多材料、高价值、完整的金属和陶瓷部件。这将有助于了解气孔和颗粒的分布，从而提高零件的制造速度和性能。计划在医疗保健技术领域进行的研究的一个例子是分析医疗移植与眼睛相互作用的方式，以便将健康细胞输送到眼球后部。需要高分辨率CT扫描来成像植入物和眼睛相互作用的方式，而不必解剖眼睛。为能源领域计划进行的研究的一个例子是了解高压二氧化碳如何与砂岩相互作用，以便开发在深层盐渍含水层和老油气田进行碳捕获和封存的改进方法，以减轻温室气体排放和全球变暖。这些设备将向外部大学用户开放；例如，来自达勒姆大学、诺丁汉大学、利兹大学、剑桥大学和谢菲尔德大学的研究人员都计划使用这些设备。这些设备还将用于与从大公司到本地中小企业的行业合作伙伴进行合作研究。这些设备将通过一个负责战略问题的委员会和一个单独的委员会进行管理，该委员会负责战略问题，优先针对高影响力的研究，以及一个单独的委员会负责操作问题，以确保设施的顺利运行。

The aim for this equipment is to facilitate a broad range of multi-disciplinary research, develop new collaborations and new research areas, working towards tackling national and global challenges in areas such as: manufacturing, energy materials and life sciences. The 3-dimensional, non-destructive characterisation of a wide range of materials, linked to ever more powerful computing power, is becoming increasingly important for the development of novel materials, devices, and healthcare technology and for developing new approaches to reduce the damaging effects of greenhouse emissions. X-ray computer tomography, known as CT-scanning, is a technique for displaying a representation of a cross section through a solid, 3-dimensional object using X-rays. Our proposal is to acquire the highest resolution, commercially-available CT-scanner, also known as the Zeiss Versa 620 X-ray Microscope. This equipment can analyse unusually large objects which allows it to be used to study whole devices and permits test rigs (e.g. sample heating or flow-through) to be placed in the sample chamber giving the equipment 4-dimensional capability (i.e. study the time-variable characteristics of material). The equipment also has the capability of determining the texture, i.e., the distribution of crystallographic orientations of a polycrystalline sample, for particles that are as small as 20 micrometres; this is called diffraction contrast tomography. The Versa 620 is the only commercially-available, laboratory-based CT-scanner that can undertake diffraction contrast tomography. The equipment ties in strongly with EPSRC's X-ray tomography roadmap and it will add to the UK's capacity, have the highest possible spatial resolution (able to image items as small as 500 nanometres), improve the geographic spread of CT equipment, further build the community of tomography users and provide a major addition for the UK's CT-scanner equipment base, via the diffraction contrast tomography capability. The University of Liverpool is an ideal base for the Versa 620 as there is ongoing major investment in materials and healthcare technology and there is a large number of identified users from the areas of engineering, materials science, chemistry, physics, energy technology, health and life sciences. The three main research domains that form the basis of the equipment bid are manufacturing, energy and healthcare technology. An example of research planned using the equipment in manufacturing will be to characterise additively manufactured, multi-material, high-value, whole metal and ceramic parts, for the automotive and aerospace industries. This will help understand the distribution of pores and grains and so improve the speed of manufacturing and properties of the part. An example of the research planned in healthcare technology will be to analyse the way that medical transplants interact with eyes in order to deliver healthy cells to the back of the eye. High resolution CT scanning is needed to image the way that implant and eye interact without having to dissect the eye. An example of the research planned for the energy area is to understand how high-pressure carbon dioxide interacts with sandstone rocks, in order to develop improved ways of undertaking carbon capture and storage in deep saline aquifers and old oil and gas fields to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. The equipment will be available to external university users; for example researchers from the universities of Durham, Nottingham, Leeds, Cambridge and Sheffield all have plans to use the equipment. The equipment will also be available to undertake collaborative research with industrial partners from large companies to local SME's. The equipment will be managed through a committee looking after strategic issues, preferentially targeting high-impact research, and a separate committee looking after operational issues to ensure the smooth running of the facility.