NEWS: New Carbon Nanotube Based X-ray Source Demonstrated

lfw.pennnet.com
May 13, 2005, Chapel Hill, NC--Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a UNC start-up company, Xintek, have invented a new X-ray device based on carbon nanotubes that emits a scanning X-ray beam composed of multiple smaller beams while also remaining stationary.

The device can create images of objects from numerous angles and without mechanical motion, which is a distinct advantage for any machine since it increases imaging speed, can reduce the size of the device, and requires less maintenance. A report on the invention appears in the May 9 issue of Applied Physics Letters. The physicists already have received U.S. patents on elements of the work and expect more to be granted.

"This technology can lead to smaller and faster X-ray imaging systems for airport baggage screening and for tomographic medical imaging such as CT (computed tomography) scanners," said Dr. Otto Zhou, Lyle Jones distinguished professor of physics and materials sciences in UNC's College of Arts and Sciences. "We believe this is an important advance in X-ray technology, and we are extremely excited about it," Zhou said. "If it works as well as we think it will, other advantages will be that scanners will be cheaper, use less electricity and produce higher-resolution images."



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