Transmission X-Ray Microscopy for Full-Field Nano Imaging of Biomaterials

Imaging of cellular structure and extended tissue in biological materials requires nanometer resolution and good sample penetration, which can be provided by current full-field transmission X-ray microscopic techniques in the soft and hard X-ray regions. The various capabilities of full-field transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM) include 3D tomography, Zernike phase contrast, quantification of absorption, and chemical identification via X-ray fluorescence and X-ray absorption near edge structure imaging. These techniques are discussed and compared in light of results from the imaging of biological materials including microorganisms, bone and mineralized tissue, and plants, with a focus on hard X-ray TXM at <= 40-nm resolution. Microsc. Res. Tech. 74: 671-681, 2011. (C) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.