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Using new materials, the research team has perfected the design of specialised X-ray optics and achieved a focus spot size with a diameter of less than ten nanometres. A nanometre is a millionths of a millimetre and is smaller than most virus particles. The researchers report their work in the journal Light: Science and Applications. They successfully used their lenses to image samples of marine plankton by the AWI.

For example they tested the new lenses to image the biomineralized shells of marine planktonic diatoms. These single-celled organisms have intricate shells, which are highly complex stable but also lightweight constructions. They consist of nanostructured silica, which was observed in two dimensional analyses with electron microscopes before. Most likely because of this structuring, the strength of the silica is exceptionally high – ten times higher than that of construction steel – although it is produced under low temperature and pressure conditions.

“We hope that the novel X-ray optics will soon make it possible to image these nanostructures in 3D. This will enable us to model and understand the high mechanical performance of these shells and help us to develop new, environmentally friendly and high performance materials,” says Christian Hamm from the AWI, who provided the samples and is a co-author of this study.

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