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Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Energy Dispersive X-ray Tomography for 3D Elemental Mapping of Individual Nanoparticles
Published on: July 5, 2016
A Library of Potential Nanoparticle Contrast Agents for X-Ray Fluorescence Tomography Bioimaging
Yuyang Li1, Kian Shaker1, Jakob C Larsson1
1Department of Applied Physics, Biomedical and X-ray Physics, KTH Royal Institute of Technology/Albanova, SE 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
Abstract:
Nanoparticles (NPs) have been used as contrast agents for several bioimaging modalities. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) tomography can provide sensitive and quantitative 3D detection of NPs. With spectrally matched NPs as contrast agents, we demonstrated earlier in a laboratory system that XRF tomography could achieve high-spatial-resolution tumor imaging in mice. Here, we present the synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of a library of NPs containing Y, Zr, Nb, Rh, and Ru that have spectrally matched K-shell absorption for the laboratory scale X-ray source. The K-shell emissions of these NPs are spectrally well separated from the X-ray probe and the Compton background, making them suitable for the lab-scale XRF tomography system. Their potential as XRF contrast agents is demonstrated successfully in a small-animal equivalent phantom, confirming the simulation results. The diversity in the NP composition provides a flexible platform for a better design and biological optimization of XRF tomography nanoprobes.
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