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Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC)

CEITEC

The Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Brno University of Technology in the Czech Republic is a leading research institution focused on advanced materials, nanotechnologies, and cybernetics. The Advanced Instrumentation and Methods for Materials Characterisation group (AIMMC) includes the laboratories of X-ray micro- and nano-computed tomography (CT), and Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS).

CTLab

Laboratory of Laser
Spectroscopy

The Laboratory of X-ray Micro and Nano Computed Tomography of Advanced Instrumentation and Methods for Materials Characterisation research group is a part of the Industrial Cybernetics, Instrumentation, and Systems Integration Research Programme in the Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), located at Brno University of Technology.


The CT Lab combines the development of tomographic methods including the software development and their applications in various scientific and engineering fields (e.g., biology, geology, archaeology, CT metrology, industry). It offers non-destructive testing of final and developing products, characterisation of internal structure of materials, volume quantification, inspection of dimensions and geometric tolerances, bulk density, particle distribution and orientation or porosity.

The Laboratory of Laser Spectroscopy is a part of the CEITEC Nano Research Infrastructure. It belongs to the research group of Advanced Instrumentation and Methods for Materials Characterisation (RG1-6) at the Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology (CEITEC BUT).


The LIBS Lab follows up with the 20 years of tradition in interdisciplinary research and development, combining engineering, analytical chemistry, statistics, and now even biology, with a high-end state-of-the-art instrumentation. The primary research aims at providing the elemental analysis of investigated samples. This elemental analysis is mainly used in the elemental mapping, which enables a valuable perspective in the understanding of the material itself, ranging from geological to biological samples.

Equipment CTLab

01
Phoenix v|tome|x L240 (μ/n-CT):
Versatile CT system with a walk-in air-conditioned protection cabinet equipped with micro- and nano-focus X-ray sources and a large 4000 x 4000 px detector and a granite-based 7-axis manipulator for long-term stability and the highest precision. A suitable system for large-scale samples (maximum object size Ø 500 × 800 mm). The newest addition, the In-situ box (by CactuX s.r.o.) allows for the simulation of real-life conditions during CT analysis, offering temperature control (-30 °C to +60 °C), a charging/discharging function to investigate batteries (up to 30 A), and a power supply function (up to 30 A/60 V) with the sample area of 35 mm x 65 mm.
02
Phoenix v|tome|x M300 (μ/n-CT):
Industrial CT with a powerful microfocus tube, air-bearings, a fixed detector-source distance for a better metrological performance. Excellent device for structural analysis of high-density samples and larger pieces of rocks (e.g. meteorites).
03
Rigaku nano3DX (n-CT):
Nano-CT system characterized by a high-resolution, dual-target source, quasi-parallel beam. Enables phase contrast imaging. Very useful for light material samples like plants, polymeric composites, textile fibers, etc. Resolution down to 0.27 μm with a field of view of 0.9 × 0.7 mm.
04
Heliscan Micro-CT (μ-CT):
High-quality data CT using a special helical trajectory, with a wide cone beam and an iterative reconstruction algorithm. A suitable system for cylindrical-shaped samples like drill cores or battery cells.

Equipment Laboratory of Laser Spectroscopy

01
LIBS FireFly (LIBS):
LIBS setup for solid samples, chemical imaging and depth profiling, LOD 1-100 ppm, spatial resolution 10-150 um, scanning area 100×100 mm2, wide range of elements (including Li, Be, Na, Mg, N, C). Laser pulse energy up to 50 mJ, laser wavelengths (266, 532, 1064 nm), scanning rate 50 Hz . Spectral range covering 240-800 nm.
02
LIBS Discovery (LIBS):
LIBS setup for solid samples, chemical imaging and depth profiling, LOD 1-100 ppm, spatial resolution 10-150 um, scanning area 100×100 mm2, wide range of elements (including Li, Be, Na, Mg, N, C). Laser pulse energy up to 50 mJ, laser wavelengths (266, 532, 1064 nm), scanning rate 50 Hz . Spectral range covering 180-1000 nm. LIBS setup including LIBS Interaction Chamber, capability to simulate atmospheric conditions of celestial bodies, e.g., Mars: CO2 at 10 mbar, and even the Moon.

Techniques

01
Specialized CT Applications:
Through the use of our advanced CT systems we offer reconstruction 3D models of sample morphology, volume quantification, identification of bulk density, particle distribution and orientation, porosity and permeability, and simulation of fluid, electrical, or thermal flow. Our infrastructure of CT equipment allows for a voxel resolution down to 270 nm (n-CT) and for samples up to dimensions of 500 x 800 mm (μ-CT).
02
Specialized LIBS Applications:
Our LIBS technology offers multi-elemental detection (including Li, Be, and H), elemental imaging, large scale analysis up to 100 x 100 mm2, and hyperspectral data processing, which includes unsupervised clustering and image segmentation, registration of multimodal data, automated mineralogy, and quantitative analysis.

Processing and data acquisition software

CTLab: Volume Graphics, Avizo, GOM Inspect.
Laboratory of Laser Spectroscopy: In-house developed software.

Sample preparation

No sample preparation is provided by the CT Lab or LIBS Lab. Samples must be prepared by the user according to the facility specifications.

Curious to learn more?

Interested in gaining access to the EXCITE2 facilities? Please enter your email address and be one of the first to be informed when we open the first EXCITE2 call for proposals. Other questions? Contact us here.

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