MRI: Acquisition of a 4D High-Resolution X-Ray Micro-Computed Tomography System for the Rocky Mountain Region

University Of Colorado At Boulder, Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

This Major Research Instrumentation award to acquire a high-resolution X-ray microtomography (XRM) imaging system will advance a broad spectrum of fundamental research, potentially leading to novel materials that enhance infrastructure resilience, next-generation medicine, and energy production. The instrumentation, which is not currently available to researchers in the Rocky Mountain region, uniquely combines an X-ray source with an objective turret to attain exceptional spatial resolution and unprecedented image quality. The instrumentation will advance critical research areas, including next-generation civil infrastructure materials, biological tissues and materials for tissue repair and regeneration, natural and archival materials, smart polymers, and energy collection and storage. As a publicly available resource, the XRM will be leveraged to advance the scientific missions of industry, individual researchers, and research institutions throughout the Rocky Mountain region. Annual working group meetings and a biannual materials imaging symposium will facilitate dissemination of state-of-the-art imaging science, enable continuous recruitment of new users, and catalyze new local and regional collaborations. The project will also support the education, training, and mentorship of a new generation of advanced instrumentalists, who will establish a regional expertise in high-resolution imaging of both hard and soft materials. As the gold standard in materials imaging, high-resolution XRM with in situ mechanical testing, temperature-controlled capabilities, and dynamic, time-resolved imaging provides a non-destructive means to image and differentiate internal micro- and nanostructures of materials with 700 nm spatial resolution at large working distances, <70 nm voxel resolution, and exceptional phase contrast for both small and large sample sizes (up to 300 mm). Advanced capabilities permit in situ augmentation of standard tests to image material behavior in 3D/4D under controlled temperature, compression, tension, and flexure, enabling previously unobservable damage and failure mechanisms at the sub-micron scale. Beyond quantifying microstructural features and empirically analyzing physical and mechanical properties in situ, image data can be directly imported into numerical simulations and manipulated with stress, strain, temperature, pressure, and fluid flow to computationally model, predict, and observe microscale material behaviors, ultimately enabling more sophisticated design of highly complex synthetic and biomimetic materials.