Micro-CT utilizes X-rays to take 2D images (radiographs) as a sample rotates 360 degrees. These projection images are then taken through a computational or ‘reconstruction’ step to form a digital 3D representation of the sample. The same principle is used for a medical CAT-Scan, but micro-CT provides much higher resolution. Part of the reason this technique has become so interesting for materials research is its non-destructive nature – enabling one to visualize and perform analysis of the interior of a sample in 3 dimensions without the need to modify or cut it. Along with unique new insights into the internal structure of samples in static states, this technique also opens doors to performing time-dependent (or ‘4D’) imaging where researchers can understand what happens inside samples as they undergo change over time.
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