Absorption Correction for 3D Elemental Distributions of Dental Composite Materials Using Laboratory Confocal...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Confocal micro-X-ray fluorescence (micro-XRF) enables 3D elemental imaging of micrometer-scale heterogeneous samples.
• X-ray attenuation in composite materials complicates quantitative analysis and elemental distribution interpretation in micro-XRF.
• Current methods lack robust absorption correction for heterogeneous samples in micro-XRF.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an absorption correction methodology for confocal micro-XRF.
• To enable accurate quantification of elemental distributions in complex composite materials.
• To address the challenges of X-ray attenuation in 3D elemental imaging.

Main Methods:

• Integration of microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) for density information.
• Utilization of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and synchrotron transmission measurements.
• Development of an energy-dependent absorption correction approach considering the probing volume.

Main Results:

• A novel absorption correction method for confocal micro-XRF was successfully developed.
• The methodology was validated on a composite sample of a bovine tooth with a dental restoration.
• Accurate quantification of elemental distributions in heterogeneous samples was demonstrated.

Conclusions:

• The presented absorption correction approach significantly enhances the accuracy of quantitative elemental imaging with confocal micro-XRF.
• This method is crucial for analyzing complex heterogeneous materials, including biomedical applications.
• The findings pave the way for more reliable elemental analysis in diverse research fields.