X-ray and neutron imaging

X-ray (both from lab sources and from synchrotrons) and neutron imaging are powerful techniques for studying the internal structure of materials in 2D, 3D, and 4D (3D+time). X-ray imaging is widely used in medicine and industry and is particularly useful for studying the internal structure of dense materials, such as metals, ceramics, and polymers. Neutrons, on the other hand, are very useful for studying light elements such as hydrogen. Both techniques have a wide range of applications in materials science. Our research in this area is focused on in situ imaging of materials under thermal and/or mechanical load while combining different imaging modalities (e.g., diffraction and absorption) to give a better understanding of the micromechanical behavior of the sample.

Contact: Johan Hektor

Combined x-ray and neutron imaging

Combining x-ray and neutron imaging makes it possible to exploit the complementarities in contrast between the two radiation types. Neutrons are, e.g., very sensitive to water and other hydrogen-rich phases which are transparent to x-rays. On the other hand, metals are often transparent to neutrons but not to x-rays. Imaging the same sample using both x-rays and neutrons can therefore give a more complete understanding of the material.

Publications
Dual modality neutron and x-ray tomography for enhanced image analysis of the bone-metal interface
E. Törnquist et al. Phys. Med. Biol., 2021, 66, 135016. (link)

The scale of a martian hydrothermal system explored using combined neutron and x-ray tomography
J. Martell et al. Sci. Adv., 2022, 8(19), (link)

Grain-resolved diffraction imaging

X-ray imaging using diffracted (rather than absorbed) x-rays can be used to gain information about polycrystalline materials. These methods combine x-ray diffraction with imaging techniques such as microscopy or tomography to study the internal structure of materials at the grain scale. This can provide detailed information about the crystal structure, orientation, shape, and size of individual grains in a sample. It is a powerful technique for understanding the relationship between material properties and microstructure.

Publications
3D X-Ray Diffraction Characterization of Grain Growth and Recrystallization in Rolled Braze Clad Aluminum Sheet
T. Stenqvist et al., Adv. Eng. Mater., 2021, 23: 2100126. (link)

Reconstructing intragranular strain fields in polycrystalline materials from scanning 3DXRD data
N. A. Henningsson et al., J. Appl. Cryst., 2020, 53(2) (link)

Scanning 3DXRD measurement of grain growth, stress, and formation of Cu6Sn5 around a tin whisker during heat treatment
J. Hektor et al., Materials, 2019, 12(2), 446 (link)