Brookhaven National Laboratory Develops Advanced X-ray Imaging Tool for Next-Generation Nuclear Materials Research
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a novel X-ray imaging tool designed to study materials for next-generation nuclear reactors. This first-of-its-kind experimental setup, located at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), integrates four different computed tomography (CT) techniques into a single instrument. These techniques—X-ray Fluorescence CT (XRF-CT), X-ray Diffraction CT (XRD-CT), Pair Distribution Function CT (PDF-CT), and X-ray Absorption CT (X-CT)—allow scientists to comprehensively characterize nuclear materials. The tool can reveal a material's internal structure, chemical makeup, and physical shape simultaneously, providing insights into how materials behave under extreme conditions such as radiation, corrosion, high temperatures, and mechanical stress. This development addresses the challenge of understanding material degradation over decades of reactor operation without having to wait for such long periods.
