Spatially resolved 3D micro-XANES by a confocal detection scheme

Silversmit, Geert; Vekemans, Bart; Nikitenko, Sergey I.; Schmitz, Sylvia; Schoonjans, Tom; Brenker, Frank E.; Vincze, László

doi:10.1039/c004103n

Cited by 25 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…An alternative approach to µ-tomography is based on a confocal geometry that makes use of glass polycapillary half-lenses [e.g. 47,48]. In both cases however, the specimen is analysed for a considerable time at the same position.…”

Section: Conventional Applications Of Synchrotron Techniques In Plantmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional characterisation of metal(loid) processes in planta through the integration of synchrotron techniques and plant molecular biology

et al. 2011

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Functional characterisation of the genes regulating metal(loid) homeostasis in plants is a major focus of crop biofortification, phytoremediation, and food security research. This paper focuses on the potential for advancing plant metal(loid) research by combining molecular biology and synchrotron-based techniques. Recent advances in x-ray focussing optics and fluorescence detection have greatly improved the potential of synchrotron techniques for plant science research, allowing metal(loids) to be imaged in vivo in hydrated plant tissues at sub-micron resolution. Laterally resolved metal(loid) speciation can also be determined. By using molecular techniques to probe the location of gene expression and protein localisation and combining it with this synchrotron-derived data, functional information can be effectively and efficiently assigned to specific genes. This paper provides a review of the state of the art in this field, and provides examples as to how synchrotron-based methods can be combined with molecular techniques to facilitate functional characterisation of genes in planta.

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Section: Conventional Applications Of Synchrotron Techniques In Plantmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional characterisation of metal(loid) processes in planta through the integration of synchrotron techniques and plant molecular biology

et al. 2011

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“…They have found application in many disciplines, e.g., biology6, materials science7, earth science8, investigations of cultural heritage9 and forensic science10. A polycapillary optics consists of up to one million hollow, curved and tapered glass capillaries, in which X-rays are transmitted by means of multiple total external reflections.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Grid-enhanced X-ray coded aperture microscopy with polycapillary optics

Sowa

Korecki

2017

Sci Rep

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Polycapillary devices focus X-rays by means of multiple reflections of X-rays in arrays of bent glass capillaries. The size of the focal spot (typically 10–100 μm) limits the resolution of scanning, absorption and phase-contrast X-ray imaging using these devices. At the expense of a moderate resolution, polycapillary elements provide high intensity and are frequently used for X-ray micro-imaging with both synchrotrons and X-ray tubes. Recent studies have shown that the internal microstructure of such an optics can be used as a coded aperture that encodes high-resolution information about objects located inside the focal spot. However, further improvements to this variant of X-ray microscopy will require the challenging fabrication of tailored devices with a well-defined capillary microstructure. Here, we show that submicron coded aperture microscopy can be realized using a periodic grid that is placed at the output surface of a polycapillary optics. Grid-enhanced X-ray coded aperture microscopy with polycapillary optics does not rely on the specific microstructure of the optics but rather takes advantage only of its focusing properties. Hence, submicron X-ray imaging can be realized with standard polycapillary devices and existing set-ups for micro X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy.

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“…Also, it may turn out that some of the alternative X-ray techniques, like phase-contrast or dark-field imaging, may offer great advantages to visualize OM or even fungal hyphae in soils. Techniques like 3D micro-XRF or micro-XANES (Silversmit et al, 2010), whose application to characterize the (bio)chemical make-up of soils is currently handicapped by the limited access to synchrotron facilities, may also benefit greatly from the widespread availability of much cheaper, versatile X-ray sources.…”

Section: Foreseeable Help From Novel Technologies?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergent Properties of Microbial Activity in Heterogeneous Soil Microenvironments: Different Research Approaches Are Slowly Converging, Yet Major Challenges Remain

et al. 2018

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Over the last 60 years, soil microbiologists have accumulated a wealth of experimental data showing that the bulk, macroscopic parameters (e.g., granulometry, pH, soil organic matter, and biomass contents) commonly used to characterize soils provide insufficient information to describe quantitatively the activity of soil microorganisms and some of its outcomes, like the emission of greenhouse gasses. Clearly, new, more appropriate macroscopic parameters are needed, which reflect better the spatial heterogeneity of soils at the microscale (i.e., the pore scale) that is commensurate with the habitat of many microorganisms. For a long time, spectroscopic and microscopic tools were lacking to quantify processes at that scale, but major technological advances over the last 15 years have made suitable equipment available to researchers. In this context, the objective of the present article is to review progress achieved to date in the significant research program that has ensued. This program can be rationalized as a sequence of steps, namely the quantification and modeling of the physical-, (bio)chemical-, and microbiological properties of soils, the integration of these different perspectives into a unified theory, its upscaling to the macroscopic scale, and, eventually, the development of new approaches to measure macroscopic soil characteristics. At this stage, significant progress has been achieved on the physical front, and to a lesser extent on the (bio)chemical one as well, both in terms of experiments and modeling. With regard to the microbial aspects, although a lot of work has been devoted to the modeling of bacterial and fungal activity in soils at the pore scale, the appropriateness of model assumptions cannot be readily assessed because of the scarcity of relevant experimental data. For significant progress to be made, it is crucial to make sure that research on the microbial components of soil systems does not keep lagging behind the work on the physical and (bio)chemical characteristics. Concerning the subsequent steps in the program, very little integration of the various disciplinary perspectives has occurred so far, and, as a result, researchers have not yet been able to tackle the scaling up to the macroscopic level. Many challenges, some of them daunting, remain on the path ahead. Fortunately, a number of these challenges may be resolved by brand new measuring equipment that will become commercially available in the very near future.

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Spatially resolved 3D micro-XANES by a confocal detection scheme

Cited by 25 publications

References 18 publications

Functional characterisation of metal(loid) processes in planta through the integration of synchrotron techniques and plant molecular biology

Functional characterisation of metal(loid) processes in planta through the integration of synchrotron techniques and plant molecular biology

Grid-enhanced X-ray coded aperture microscopy with polycapillary optics

Emergent Properties of Microbial Activity in Heterogeneous Soil Microenvironments: Different Research Approaches Are Slowly Converging, Yet Major Challenges Remain

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