Synchrotron Radiation Phase Contrast Imaging for Clear Visualization of Magnetic Particles

Magnetic particles are broadly used for separating different components of a sample. The visualization of magnetic particles is very essential for qualitation and quantification of the components. However, conventional x-ray imaging techniques still have difficulties to clearly show magnetic particles especially when their x-ray attenuation is weak. Synchrotron radiation (SR) phase contrast imaging (PCI) has been widely utilized to improve soft tissue contrast[1-5]. In our study, SR absorption-based imaging (ABI) could not reveal the magnetic particles at all. In comparison, PCI could afford clear revelation of the beads (figure 1). The aggregation characteristics of magnetic particles under a magnet could also be evidently presented using PCI (figure 2). The results demonstrate that PCI has considerable potential for further detection studies by visibly displaying the magnetic particles.