Phase Contrast Micro-Computed Tomography of Biological Sample at SSRF

In line X-ray phase contrast micro-computed tomography (IL-XPCT), which can be implemented at third generation synchrotron radiation sources or by using a micro-focus X-ray tube, is a powerful technique for non-destructive, high-resolution investigations of a broad variety of materials. At the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF), the X-ray Imaging and Biomedical Applications Beamline was built and started regular user operation in May 2009. Both qualitative (without phase retrieval) and quantitative (with phase retrieval) three-dimensional IL-XPCT experimental techniques have been established at the beamline. IL-XPCT experiments of a test sample (plastic pipes) used to evaluate the technique, and of a biological sample (locust) at the beamline are reported. Two series of images, qualitative and quantitative, including tomographic slices and three-dimensional rendering images were obtained. In qualitative images, there is a strong edge-enhancement which leads to very clear sample contours, while in quantitative images, the edge-enhancement fades but quantitative measurement of sample's phase information could be achieved. The experiments demonstrate that the combination of qualitative and quantitative images is useful for biological sample studies.