For the first time, researchers have broken through a long-standing barrier in materials science by enabling detailed three-dimensional imaging of microstructures inside metals, ceramics, and rocks using X-rays within the confines of a standard laboratory. This cutting-edge advance, spearheaded by a team of engineers at the University of Michigan, brings a powerful technique previously limited to massive particle accelerators into a more accessible environment. The breakthrough heralds vast potential for accelerating materials research across academia and industry alike, offering newfound opportunities for both rapid analysis and student learning without the cumbersome wait times or high costs typical of synchrotron facilities.
At the heart of this innovation lies three-dimensional X-ray diffraction (3DXRD), a technique that reconstructs volumetric images by analyzing X-ray diffraction patterns captured from multiple angles around a sample. This method is analogous to medical computed tomography (CT) scanners, which create 3D images of the human body by rotating the imaging device around a patient. In contrast, 3DXRD involves rotating a small—mere millimeters wide—material specimen in front of a high-intensity X-ray beam, allowing for detailed interrogation of the sample’s crystalline landscape on a microscale. Traditional 3DXRD has depended on synchrotrons, massive facilities where electrons looping at near-light speeds generate intense X-ray beams necessary for illuminating the fine-grained structures within polycrystalline materials.
Polycrystalline materials, which include the majority of metals, ceramics, and geological samples, consist of myriad tiny crystals called grains. Understanding the size, shape, orientation, and internal strain of these grains under mechanical stress is critically important for revealing how materials perform and fail in real-world applications. Until now, accessing these insights required researchers to write proposals to secure limited “beam time” at one of approximately seventy global synchrotron facilities—an often lengthy process with scheduling waiting periods stretching from months to years, and experiments typically capped at less than a week. The reliance on such centralized and scarce resources has hindered experimental flexibility and slowed the pace of discovery in fields ranging from structural engineering to Earth sciences.
Addressing these limitations, the University of Michigan team collaborated with PROTO Manufacturing to engineer a compact, laboratory-scale 3DXRD system that fits into a space comparable to a residential bathroom. This system, coined “lab-3DXRD,” dramatically shrinks the footprint of traditional synchrotron-based setups, and the underlying technology could even be miniaturized further to fit within the dimensions of a broom closet. This upscaling to the laboratory environment was previously unattainable due to fundamental limitations in producing adequately intense X-rays in small-scale devices. At high electron beam powers, traditional solid anodes—metal targets struck by electrons to generate X-rays—would overheat and melt, prohibiting the generation of sufficiently strong beams.
The key enabling technology behind lab-3DXRD’s success is a liquid-metal-jet anode, which uses a continuously flowing stream of metal that remains liquid at room temperature. This approach eliminates the thermal constraints of static solid targets by allowing heat to dissipate as fresh liquid metal continuously enters the interaction zone. Consequently, the system can sustain much higher electron beam power densities, yielding an X-ray flux approximately a million times greater than typical medical X-ray sources. This remarkable intensity empowers the laboratory device to produce detailed diffraction data rivaling that of synchrotrons for many applications.
To validate their system’s performance, the researchers scanned a sample comprising a titanium alloy—a material widely used in aerospace and biomedical implants—using three complementary methods: the newly developed lab-3DXRD, synchrotron 3DXRD, and laboratory diffraction contrast tomography (LabDCT). The latter technique is a laboratory-based modality that images crystal structures in three dimensions but lacks the ability to capture internal strains. Impressively, the lab-3DXRD identified 96% of the crystals detected by the other two methods, with especially strong performance imaging crystals larger than 60 micrometers. The primary limitation observed was the under-detection of the smallest grain sizes, an issue the team believes could be remedied by integrating more sensitive photon-counting detectors capable of capturing lower-intensity X-ray signals.
This capacity to perform high-fidelity 3DXRD analyses within a campus laboratory marks a paradigm shift for materials research. The flexibility to conduct experiments iteratively—adjusting parameters in real-time—and the freedom from synchrotron time constraints empower scientists to explore more ambitious, fatigue-related experiments over extended periods. One compelling direction enabled by lab-3DXRD is the study of cyclic loading, which examines how materials respond to repeated mechanical stress across thousands to millions of cycles, a crucial factor for predicting long-term structural integrity.
Ashley Bucsek, U-M assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering and a co-corresponding author on the study, eloquently likens the lab-3DXRD to “a nice backyard telescope” compared to synchrotron 3DXRD’s “Hubble Telescope.” She highlights that while synchrotrons remain indispensable for the most demanding experiments requiring unparalleled resolution, having a highly capable lab-based system dramatically streamlines the preparatory work and concept validation. This fosters a more creative research environment where high-risk, high-reward experiments can be piloted with reduced logistical overhead.
The lab-3DXRD’s development was made possible through substantial support from the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, illustrating the strategic importance placed on expanding access to major characterization tools in the scientific ecosystem. The collaboration with PROTO Manufacturing was instrumental not only in device fabrication but also in translating complex theoretical concepts into a practical, robust instrument suitable for routine laboratory use.
Beyond industrial and academic research laboratories, this innovation promises a profound impact on education. By removing barriers of access and wait times for synchrotron facilities, more students can engage hands-on with advanced X-ray diffraction technologies, directly linking theoretical coursework to tangible experimental data. Such experiential learning is invaluable in training the next generation of materials scientists and engineers, who will ultimately drive future innovations in energy, transportation, and manufacturing.
The research team also conducted complementary LabDCT measurements at the Michigan Center for Materials Characterization, enabling cross-validation of crystal orientation maps. This multi-technique approach underscored the reliability of lab-3DXRD for capturing volumetric data and strain states, paving the way for widespread adoption. As improvements in detector technology and data analysis algorithms continue, the resolution and sensitivity of lab-based 3DXRD will only improve, further closing the gap with synchrotron capabilities.
This groundbreaking work, published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, signifies a pivotal move toward democratizing ultra-high-resolution materials imaging. The combination of innovative engineering solutions with fundamental materials science principles underscores how interdisciplinary collaboration can unlock new frontiers in experimental capability. With lab-3DXRD now a reality, the future of structural materials research stands poised for transformative growth, harnessing accessible, rapid, and richly informative X-ray imaging tools from the lab bench itself.
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Subject of Research: Advanced materials characterization; three-dimensional X-ray diffraction (3DXRD); polycrystalline materials imaging; laboratory-scale synchrotron alternative.
Article Title: Taking three-dimensional X-ray diffraction (3DXRD) from the Synchrotron to the laboratory scale.
Web References:
– https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-58255-x
– https://www.protoxrd.com/
– https://www.excillum.com/products/metaljet/metaljet-e1/
– https://mc2.engin.umich.edu/
References: DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-58255-x (Nature Communications)
Keywords
Applied physics, Applied optics, Photonics, Materials science, Diffraction, Materials engineering, Physical sciences, Classical mechanics, Wave mechanics
