We are excited to announce the opening of the new Center for X-Ray Advanced Imaging of Materials & Structures (X-Ray AIMS) in the AMIC building on Clemson’s campus (Fig. 1A). Located on the first floor, this state-of-the-art facility is equipped with a newly installed ZEISS Xradia Versa 615 micro-CT system, enabling non-destructive three-dimensional imaging of ceramic, polymeric and biomaterials materials and structures. This capability allows researchers to image the same specimen while applying successive experimental treatments, offering a detailed insight into evolution of the internal structural over time.
The Xradia Versa 615 operates on principles similar to medical computed tomography, but at the micro- and nanoscale, achieving spatial resolutions as fine as 500 nm for millimeter- to centimeter-sized samples. With an operating voltage range of 30–160 kV and power output of 3-25 W, the system supports imaging across a wide range of material types, from low-density, carbon-based structures – such as wood cellular architecture in a toothpick imaged at 40× magnification (Fig. 1B) – to high-density, multi-phase powders and advanced composite materials.
Figure 1. (A) ZEISS Xradia Versa 615 micro-CT system in the AMIC building. (B) The non-destructive 3D X-ray micro-CT image of a toothpick with clearly visible cells with sub-micron resolution.
