X-Ray Diffraction Computed Tomography

XRD-CT data provide a three-dimensional map in which each pixel/voxel contains a distinct diffraction pattern, resulting in localized information on crystalline phases in the object. One of weak points of XRD-CT was that measurements usually required a trade-off between spatial and temporal resolution. On the experimental level, the breakthrough came with the marriage of modern high-energy beamlines and hybrid-pixel detectors based on cadmium-telluride (CdTe) sensors. 

CdTe detectors brought all the benefits of photon-counting technology to hard X-rays: noise-free performance, speed, a high dynamic range, and high resolution. This has helped to push XRD-CT towards a status as a 5D technique, in which three spatial, one temporal, and one scattering dimension are successfully applied to in-situ and operando monitoring of reactions. The technique is useful when analyzing various materials and systems, including fuel cells, catalysts, diluted materials, and biological tissues.