Journal Article

PUBDB-2026-01499

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Directional dark field for nanoscale full-field transmission X-ray microscopy

Wirtensohn, S. (Corresponding author)Extern*Hereon*DESY* ; Flenner, S. ; John, D. ; Qi, P. ; David, C. ; May, M. ; Huber, P. (Corresponding author)Extern*DESY* ; Herzog, D. ; Tangl, S. ; Kampleitner, C. ; Singh, K. ; Kelbassa, I. ; Bekes, K. ; Herzen, J. ; Greving, I.

2026
Nature Publishing Group London

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Please use a persistent id in citations: doi:10.1038/s41377-026-02263-z  doi:10.3204/PUBDB-2026-01499

Abstract: Dark-field X-ray imaging visualizes structural inhomogeneities through small-angle scattering, but existing directionalmethods are confined to the micrometer scale. While recent advances have extended dark field capabilities tonanoscale transmission X-ray microscopy, directional scattering retrieval – critical for characterizing anisotropicnanostructures – has remained inaccessible for imaging resolutions in the sub-micrometer scale. Here, wedemonstrate the first directional dark-field setup for nanoimaging, achieving orientation mapping of scatteringfeatures below the spatial resolution limit. Our method is experimentally simple to implement with existingtransmission X-ray microscopy setups. We validate its performance by successfully resolving sub-resolution teststructure orientations, cross-correlating orientational changes within hierarchical nanoporous materials, and mappingthe directional arrangement of hydroxyapatite nanocrystals (30–70 nm) within human tooth enamel. By utilizingshadow regions in the optical configuration, we further extend the detectable scattering vector range, demonstratinga pathway toward size-selective dark-field imaging. This advancement enables the quantitative structuralcharacterization of anisotropic nanomaterials, which are critical to biomineralization, advanced materials, andnanotechnology applications.

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. CIMMS-RA Center for integr. Multiscale M (CIMMS)

Research Program(s):

1. 632 - Materials – Quantum, Complex and Functional Materials (POF4-632) (POF4-632)
2. DFG project G:(GEPRIS)533771286 - EXC 3120: BlueMat: Wassergesteuerte Materialien (533771286) (533771286)
3. FS-Proposal: I-20240214 (I-20240214) (I-20240214)

Experiment(s):

1. No specific instrument

Appears in the scientific report 2026

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