High-resolution element mapping inside biological samples using fluorescence microtomography

Sample preparation for element analysis of many biological tissues is difficult to achieve and prone to introduce contamination. Using x-ray fluorescence element microtomography (XFEMT) the element distribution on a virtual section across the sample can be determined with a resolution in the micrometer range. Fluorescence microtomograms of two plant samples are shown, demonstrating the possibility to map physiologically relevant ions, trace elements, and heavy metal pollutants at the cellular level. Attenuation effects inside the plant are corrected by a self-consistent tomographic reconstruction technique.