Full-field hard X-ray nano-tomography at SSRF

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Physics

Background:

• Development of advanced imaging techniques is crucial for materials characterization.
• Synchrotron-based X-ray microscopy offers unique capabilities for nanoscale analysis.
• High-resolution 3D imaging is essential for understanding material properties and behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To commission and demonstrate an in-house designed transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM) instrument.
• To evaluate the performance of the TXM for 3D nano-tomography of various materials.
• To showcase the capabilities of the new instrument for scientific research.

Main Methods:

• Commissioning of a new TXM instrument at beamline BL18B, Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF).
• Utilizing hard X-rays (5-14 keV) with two resolution modes: scintillator-lens-coupled camera and X-ray sCMOS camera.
• Performing full-field hard X-ray nano-tomography on high-Z (Au, battery particles) and low-Z (SiO2 powders) materials.

Main Results:

• Achieved sub-50 nm to 100 nm spatial resolution in three dimensions (3D).
• Demonstrated successful nano-tomography for both high-Z and low-Z material samples.
• Validated the performance of the TXM across different resolution modes.

Conclusions:

• The newly commissioned TXM instrument provides high-resolution 3D non-destructive characterization capabilities.
• The instrument is suitable for a wide range of scientific applications requiring nanoscale imaging.
• The achieved resolution opens new avenues for materials research and development.