Advancements in x-ray microscopy for the non-destructive metallurgical characterization of mesoscale components
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58368/MTT.24.9-10.2025.18-26Keywords:
X-Ray Micro-Computed Tomography, Synchrotron, Coherent Imaging, Ptychography, HolographyAbstract
The metallurgical characteristics of mesoscopic samples are critically important for ensuring the safety, reliability, and performance of everything from jet engines to medical implants, and for designing new alternatives. To monitor real-time failure of components, a non-destructive analytical technique that provides high-resolution, three-dimensional visualization of a sample’s internal microstructure comprising grains, pores, and micro-cracks is crucial. Conventional optical-based characterization techniques, while valuable for surface and compositional analysis, cannot visualize the true internal structure in three dimensions. Here, the use of X-ray microscopy (XRM) as a non-destructive method to analyze and visualize internal architectures of mesoscopic samples at nanoscale resolution is explored. XRM simultaneously helps in mapping a material’s physical structure, crystal orientation, and chemical composition —providing the complete picture needed to create the next generation of advanced materials. The recent advances in detector and focusing technologies derived from synchrotron research have enhanced laboratory-based XRM systems, achieving image resolutions that surpass traditional micro-CT and expanding their applicability for advanced material development and diagnostics.
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