Angle-dispersive diffraction with synchrotron radiation at Laboratório Nacional de Luz Síncrotron (Brazil): potential for use in biomedical imaging

At low angles the scattering of X-rays in the diagnostic energy range (low-momentum transfer), it is probable that the scattering interaction will be coherent. This coherence gives rise to interference effects resulting in X-ray diffraction patterns that are characteristic of the scattering material. The usefulness of coherent scattering is not limited to crystallography. It can provide information about biological material as well. The interatomic and intermolecular co-operative effects which modify the free-atom coherent scattering process are well known for highly ordered structures such as crystalline materials but are important for amorphous solids and liquids where short-range ordering occurs. X-ray diffraction using synchrotron radiation has became a well established technique. This work introduces a non-destructive synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction imaging technique. The feasibility of the X-ray diffraction computed microtomography using synchrotron radiation has been investigated. This research was carried out at the X-ray diffraction beam line of the National Synchrotron Light Laboratory supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (LNLS/CNPq) in Brazil. These experimental patterns were carried out with a 500 μm slit in front of the detector and an 11.101 keV beam (λ=1.117 Å) monochromatic beam from the double crystal monochromator. The diffracted beam was detected by a fast scintillation detector (106 counts s−1) designed specifically to meet the needs of high quality X-ray diffraction and synchrotron radiation experiments. The data were recorded at rates of one second per degree of 2θ (angular steps equal to 0.05±0.01°) and registered by a multichannel analyzer. These experimental data could be used to evaluate the scattering properties of different tissue-substitute (water, lucite, nylon, plastic and polystyrene) and bone-substitute (hydroxyapatite and aluminum) materials. The data are in good agreement with those obtained by other authors, indicating the feasibility of the imaging technique.