A Bruker micro-CT scanner found a particularly useful application during the Polarstern expedition in the winter of 2025/2026. The fact that such a precise mechanical instrument could deliver accurate image data in the rough Antarctic seas was by no means clear beforehand and could only be demonstrated during the course of the expedition.
Our test specimen is a distal femur from a sheep with two titanium screws. We scanned our specimen with the X4 POSEIDON at an X-ray energy of 110 kV, a 1 mm molybdenum filter, and a voxel size of 30 µm. The cross-sectional image through a titanium screw in the femoral condyle shows no artifacts in the shadow of the metal. The undamaged bone structure in the screw thread is clearly visible.
Thanks to its non-destructive analysis capabilities, Bruker's X4 Poseidon imaging platform is ideally suited for pharmaceutical development and quality control. This 3D X-ray microscope is a benchtop instrument that enables non-destructive analysis of both the outer capsule and its contents using a high-resolution 3D dataset. The image shown here was scanned at a voxel size of 3.5 µm in just 26 minutes.
Brian Metscher from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Vienna provided us with three samples to test the quality of the X4 Poseidon at high magnifications. We were just as impressed with the images as he was.
Our team succeeded in developing a protection concept for the sensitive materials of the solid-state battery. This made it possible to scan the electrode structure with submicrometer resolution over many hours.
Bruker has achieved a great success with the X4 POSEIDON. With this system, Bruker is introducing a platform for 3D X-ray microscopy or microtomography in table format, which can be equipped with various sources and detectors depending on the customer's requirements.
As part of the DELFIN joint project, we have acquired a new type of X-ray microscope (“nano-CT”) to examine the electrode structure of a modern lithium solid-state battery using 3D imaging.
In addition to our daily analysis work, researching and developing new processes is particularly exciting for us. We are therefore very pleased that we are able to work on the DELFIN joint project and thus on an interesting topic - the development of solid-state batteries.
Our customer Dr. Anton Windfelder from the Justus Liebig University of Giessen has published an impressive study on the intestinal tract of the tobacco hornworm caterpillar (Manduca sexta). This animal serves as a model system for ecotoxicology, immunology and intestinal physiology.
