Development of a Method to Determine Electron Density and Effective Atomic Number of High Atomic Number Solid Materials Using Dual-Energy Computed Tomography.

ABSTRACT

AIM: This study aims to develop a method using dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) to determine the effective atomic number and electron density of substances. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten chemical substances of pure analytical grade were obtained from various manufacturers. These chemicals were pelletized using a hydraulic press. These pellets were scanned using DECT. A relation was obtained for the pellet's atomic number and electron density with their CT number or Hounsfield unit (HU) values. Calibration coefficients were determined. Five new chemical pellets were scanned, and their effective atomic number and electron densities were determined using the calibration coefficients to test the efficacy of the calibration method. RESULTS: The results obtained for effective atomic number and electron density from the HU number of DECT images were within ±5% and ±3%, respectively, of their actual values. CONCLUSIONS: DECT can be used as an effective tool for determining the effective atomic number and electron density of high atomic number substance.