The optical lens coupled X-ray in-line phase contrast imaging system for the characterization of low Z materials.

Due to the high spatial resolution and contrast, the optical lens coupled X-ray in-line phase contrast imaging system with the secondary optical magnification is more suitable for the characterization of the low Z materials. The influence of the source to object distance and the object to scintillator distance on the image resolution and contrast is studied experimentally. A phase correlation algorithm is used for the image mosaic of a serial of X-ray phase contrast images acquired with high resolution, the resulting resolution is less than 1.0 µm, and the whole field of view is larger than 1.4 mm. Finally, the geometric morphology and the inner structure of various weakly absorbing samples and the evaporation of water in the plastic micro-shell are in situ characterized by the optical lens coupled X-ray in-line phase contrast imaging system.