In the field of X-ray phase-contrast imaging, a time-saving approach and preservation of details are crucial factors for obtaining phase-contrast images. In this manuscript, a single grating imaging system is proposed to perform the X-ray phase-contrast imaging. Instead of the time-consuming phase-stepping method, this system uses a single-shot algorithm to retrieve the distribution of samples’ attenuation and phase gradient. Unlike the single-shot Fourier transform algorithm, which truncates the high-frequency component of the image and reduces the spatial resolution, our method can retrieve the attenuation and phase information images with the same spatial resolution as the images acquired directly by the X-ray detector used. Furthermore, by using a large-size X-ray detector (29 cm × 23 cm), the imaging system can be configured as either a microscopic instrument or a normal large field-of-view imaging system. Finally, a series of experiments were performed to validate the feasibility of the proposed method.

Grating-based x-ray phase contrast imaging has attracted increasing interest in recent decades as multimodal and laboratory source usable method. Specific efforts have been focused on establishing a new extraction method to perform practical applications. In this work, noise properties of multi-combination information of newly established information extraction method, so-called angular signal radiography method, are investigated to provide guidelines for targeted and specific applications. The results show that how multi-combination of images can be used in targeted practical applications to obtain a high-quality image in terms of signal-to-noise ratio. Our conclusions can also hold true for upcoming targeted practical applications such as biomedical imaging, non-destructive imaging, and materials science.

Cascaded Talbot-Lau interferometers (CTLI) facilitate X-ray differential phase-contrast imaging (DPCI) by using absorption gratings with large periods. Large-area gratings provide a large field of view (FoV), thus they extend applications of DPCI. However, conventional methods for fabricating such gratings are still costly. We report an 8-inch absorption grating that was fabricated by filling tungsten nanoparticles into grating structures. The fabrication process requires readily available equipment, allowing it to be easily implemented. We experimentally tested these absorption gratings with our X-ray CTLI system, yielding Moiré fringes and multi-contrast images, which demonstrates the effectiveness of our proposed method.

For light-element materials, X-ray phase contrast imaging provides better contrast compared to absorption imaging. While the Fourier transform method has a shorter imaging time, it typically results in lower image quality; in contrast, the phase-shifting method offers higher image quality but is more time-consuming and involves a higher radiation dose. To rapidly reconstruct low-dose X-ray phase contrast images, this study developed a model based on Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN), incorporating custom layers and self-attention mechanisms to recover high-quality phase contrast images. We generated a simulated dataset using Kaggle’s X-ray data to train the GAN, and in simulated experiments, we achieved significant improvements in Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) and Structural Similarity Index (SSIM). To further validate our method, we applied it to fringe images acquired from three phase contrast systems: a single-grating phase contrast system, a Talbot-Lau system, and a cascaded grating system. The current results demonstrate that our method successfully restored high-quality phase contrast images from fringe images collected in experimental settings, though it should be noted that these results were achieved using relatively simple sample configurations.

The X-ray in-line phase-contrast imaging technique requires that the light source provides a spatially coherent X-ray beam typically generated by a microfocus X-ray tube in most laboratories. However, its small focal spot limits the lightness. An arrayed X-ray point source can overcome this drawback and provide an adequately bright spatial coherent light. However, the arrayed source will introduce artefacts to the phase-contrast image due to the point source spatial distribution. To eliminate these artefacts, an optimization-based algorithm is used to reconstruct the image as an optimization problem. An iterative method was developed to numerically solve the optimization problem by using the first-order primal-dual algorithm. The simulations demonstrate its convergence and reconstruction accuracy.