Bonfigli Francesca, Faenov Anatoly, Flora Francesco, Francucci Massimo, Gaudio Pasqualino, Lai Antonia, Martellucci Sergio, Montereali Rosa Maria, Pikuz Tania, Reale Lucia, Richetta Maria, Vincenti Maria Aurora, Baldacchini Giuseppe
Physics Technologies and New Materials Department, ENEA, CR Frascati, 00044 Frascati, Rome, Italy.
Microsc Res Tech. 2008 Jan;71(1):35-41. doi: 10.1002/jemt.20523.
High contrast imaging of in vivo Chlorella sorokiniana cells with submicron spatial resolution was obtained with a contact water window X-ray microscopy technique using a point-like, laser-plasma produced, water-window X-ray radiation source, and LiF crystals as detectors. This novel type of X-ray imaging detectors is based on photoluminescence of stable electronic point defects, characterized by high intrinsic resolution. The fluorescence images obtained on LiF crystals exposed in single-shot experiments demonstrate the high sensitivity and dynamic range of this new detector. The powerful performances of LiF crystals allowed us to detect the exudates of Chlorella cells in their living medium and their spatial distribution in situ, without any special sample preparation.
