The award will be used to purchase a laboratory scale x-ray computed tomography system capable of sub-micron spatial resolution. The system is capable of imaging the internal structure of a wide range of materials. This capability will initially be exploited to answer questions regarding the uptake of trace metals in the environment, bone mineral density, defects in micromachines, membrane and filter processes, artery roughness and fluid flow, and microstructure-property relationships for a variety of heterogeneous and functionally graded materials. All these fields will be aided by the parallel adaptation and implementation of sophisticated 3D image analysis routines to maximize the useful quantitative information that can be extracted from the data. The tomography system is the first unit of its kind capable of sub-micron spatial resolution, representing nearly an order of magnitude improvement over other commercially available laboratory systems. This resolution improvement allows us to capture microscopic 3D spatial information at critical length scales, enabling us to make new measurements and challenge old assumptions in a wide range of scientific fields. The instrument will be the centerpiece for a 3D imaging facility that will be a resource for research and outreach in New England and beyond.
