A robust and versatile sample preparation technique for the fabrication of cylindrical pillars for imaging by X‐ray nano‐computed tomography (nano‐CT) is presented. The procedure employs simple, cost‐effective laser micro‐machining coupled with focused‐ion beam (FIB) milling, when required, to yield mechanically robust samples at the micrometre length‐scale to match the field‐of‐view (FOV) for nano‐CT imaging. A variety of energy and geological materials are exhibited as case studies, demonstrating the procedure can be applied to a variety of materials to provide geometrically optimised samples whose size and shape are tailored to the attenuation coefficients of the constituent phases. The procedure can be implemented for the bespoke preparation of pillars for both lab‐ and synchrotron‐based X‐ray nano‐CT investigations of a wide range of samples.

中文翻译：

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用于 X 射线纳米 CT 的几何优化样品的激光制备

提出了一种强大且通用的样品制备技术，用于制造用于通过 X 射线纳米计算机断层扫描 (nano-CT) 成像的圆柱柱。该程序在需要时采用简单、经济高效的激光微加工与聚焦离子束 (FIB) 铣削相结合，以产生微米长度尺度的机械坚固样品，以匹配纳米的视场 (FOV)。 -CT成像。展示了各种能源和地质材料作为案例研究，展示了该程序可以应用于各种材料，以提供几何优化的样品，其尺寸和形状适合组成相的衰减系数。该程序可用于为各种样品的实验室和基于同步加速器的 X 射线纳米 CT 研究定制支柱的制备。