We successfully realized millisecond-order X-ray phase tomography using a fringe-scanning method in grating-based X-ray interferometry. We obtained phase tomograms with a measurement time of 4.43 ms using a white synchrotron X-ray beam. The use of a fringe-scanning method enables us to achieve not only a higher spatial resolution but also a higher signal-to-noise ratio than that attained by the Fourier transform method. In addition, our approach can be applied to realize four-dimensional or high-throughput X-ray tomography for samples that can be rotated at a high speed.

We present the results of time-resolved X-ray reflectivity measurements carried out to investigate the early stage of protein adsorption and deformation at an air-water interface. Three globular proteins [lysozyme, myoglobin, and bovine serum albumin (BSA)] were studied, and we observed that the proteins adsorbed at the air-water interface initially possessed a thinner conformation than their native structures. The degree of deformation increased in the order myoglobin < lysozyme < BSA, which was inconsistent with the order of molecular flexibility. The initial rate of protein adsorption increased in the order lysozyme < BSA < myoglobin as determined by the dynamic surface tension. More flexible proteins generally adsorb at the interface more rapidly; however, proteins with hydrophobic patches on the protein surface, such as myoglobin, adsorb at the interface with little deformation. These results provide evidence that protein unfolding during adsorption only takes place if the kinetics of adsorption are similar to or slower than the kinetics of unfolding.

We developed a multi-beam X-ray imaging detector, consisting of four scintillator screens connected by a branched optical fiber bundle with a CMOS camera. By using the detector and a multi-beam imaging optics with silicon single crystalline blades designed for a white synchrotron radiation source, we successfully demonstrated multi-beam X-ray imaging with an exposure time of 1 ms. The long and flexible optical fiber bundle used for the detector enables us to realize high-speed multi-beam X-ray imaging with high flexibility at a relatively low cost.