title: Laboratory Scale X-ray Fluorescence Tomography: Instrument Characterization and Application in Earth and Environmental Science.
abstract: A new laboratory scale X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging instrument, based on an X-ray microfocus tube equipped with a monocapillary optic, has been developed to perform XRF computed tomography experiments with both higher spatial resolution (20 μm) and a better energy resolution (130 eV @Mn-K(α)) than has been achieved up-to-now. This instrument opens a new range of possible applications for XRF-CT. Next to the analytical characterization of the setup by using well-defined model/reference samples, demonstrating its capabilities for tomographic imaging, the XRF-CT microprobe has been used to image the interior of an ecotoxicological model organism, Americamysis bahia. This had been exposed to elevated metal (Cu and Ni) concentrations. The technique allowed the visualization of the accumulation sites of copper, clearly indicating the affected organs, i.e. either the gastric system or the hepatopancreas. As another illustrative application, the scanner has been employed to investigate goethite spherules from the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, revealing the internal elemental distribution of these valuable distal ejecta layer particles.
authors.affiliation: X-ray Microspectroscopy and Imaging Group (XMI), Ghent University , Krijgslaan 281 S12, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Brecht
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Laforce
authors.affiliation: X-ray Microspectroscopy and Imaging Group (XMI), Ghent University , Krijgslaan 281 S12, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Bram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vermeulen
authors.affiliation: PETRA III, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestrasse 85, D-22607 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garrevoet
authors.affiliation: X-ray Microspectroscopy and Imaging Group (XMI), Ghent University , Krijgslaan 281 S12, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vekemans
authors.affiliation: UGCT-Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ghent University , Proeftuinstraat 86, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Hoorebeke
authors.affiliation: Environmental Toxicology Unit, Ghent University , Jozef Plateaustraat 22, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Janssen
authors.affiliation: X-ray Microspectroscopy and Imaging Group (XMI), Ghent University , Krijgslaan 281 S12, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Laszlo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vincze
mesh_terms: D004463:Ecology; D005453:Fluorescence; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed