We are developing new 3D imaging methods with chemical applications to materials science, polymers, environmental, geology, and selected biological projects. We built a tomography beamline at the LSU synchrotron, and are actively seeking other imaging methods, including neutron tomography and nanotomography with focused synchrotron X-ray beams.
We were drawn to tomography as a fast, high-information content spectroscopic tool for materials science. Our background includes over 20 years of solid-state NMR spectroscopy with numerous applications to materials, catalysis, and environmental projects. We even built five NMRs and performed some MRI-like experiments. However, the new appeal of tomography, especially the potential for high-throughput studies has changed our primary research tool.
Tomography can be done with X-rays, neutrons, electrons, etc. With X-rays, chemical sensitivity is based on scanning X-ray energies across elemental K-edges in a multi-spectral imaging experiment. The LSU synchrotron beamline makes this process easy, yielding images with near micron resolution. Above, a brominated flame retardant from a local chemical company has been poorly blended, intentionally. The dark areas show regions of high flame retardant concentration. The flame retardant will slowly dissolve in polystyrene, and later images show an evenly blended sample.
Since the tomographic images contain 3D concentrations of the flame retardant distributions, we can measure the rate of diffusion as a function of processing, giving us access to exceptionally slow molecular processes.
The ability to measure chemical distributions in 3D has wide applications. We have demonstrated applications to environmental science, and next plan to work on hydrogen storage materials. Also, 3D imaging provides a more visual understanding of chemistry, and this has lead to a number of collaborations, ranging from computer science to mathematics to biology.
LSU Distinguished Faculty Award, 2001
Naval Research Laboratory Alan Berman Award, 1993
Alfred P. Sloan Fellow, 1989-93
K. Ham, H. A Barnett, T. Ogunbakin, R. Weber, J. T. Scorsone, D. J. Henry, E. B. Iverson, B. Schillinger, L. G. Butler., “Comparison of X-ray and Neutron Tomography for Imaging Granitic Veins in Migmatite: Comments on Neutron Tomography Design Specifications”, submitted (Jan 2009) Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section B-Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms.
Barnett, H. A.; Ham, K.; Scorsone, J. T.; Butler, L. G., “Synchrotron X-ray Tomography for 3D Chemical Distribution Measurement of a Flame Retardant and Synergist in a Fiberglass-Reinforced Polymer Blend”, submitted (Sept 2008) to Journal of Physical Chemistry.
Homberger, D.; Ham, K.; Ogunbakin, T.; Bonin, J.; Hopkins, B.; Osborn, M.; Hossein, I.; Barnett, H.; Matthews II, K.; Butler, L.; Bragulla, H., “The Structure of the Cornified Claw Sheath in the Domestic Cat (Felis catus): Implications for the Claw Shedding Mechanism”, Journal of Anatomy.2009,
Heath A. Barnett, Kyungmin Ham and Leslie G Butler, Burning Issues in Tomography, Computing in Science & Engineering, 2008, March/April, 78-81.
Heath A. Barnett, Kyungmin Ham and Leslie G Butler, Synchrotron X-ray Tomography for 3D Chemical Diffusion Measurement of a Flame Retardant in Polystyrene, Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section A, 2007, 582, 202-204.
Kyungmin Ham and Leslie G Butler. Algorithms for three-dimensional chemical analysis via multi-energy synchrotron X-ray tomography. Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section B-Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 2007, 262, 117-127.
Feng-Jung Wu, Larry A. Simeral, Anthony A. Mrse, Jan L. Eilertsen, Lacramioara Negureanu, Zhehong Gan, Frank R. Fronczek, Randall W. Hall, and Leslie G. Butler. Structural Characterization of Isobutylaluminoxane Hydride, A High Aluminum-Content Cluster: Further Studies of Methylaluminoxane. Inorg. Chem., 2007, 46, 44-47.
Kyungmin Ham, Heath A. Barnett, Tolulope Ogunbakin, Dominique G. Homberger, Hermann H. Bragulla, Kenneth L. Matthews II, Clinton S. Willson, and Leslie G. Butler. Imaging Tissue Structures: Assessment of Absorption and Phase-Contrast X-ray Tomography Imaging at 2-nd and 3-rd Generation Synchrotrons. Proceedings of the SPIE, 2006, 6318, 631822
Lacramioara Negureanu, Randall W. Hall, Leslie G. Butler, and Larry A. Simeral. Methylaluminoxane (MAO) polymerization mechanism and kinetic model from ab initio molecular dynamics and electronic structure calculations. J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 2006, 128, 16816-26
Heath A. Barnett, Kyungmin Ham, and Leslie G. Butler. The 3D Chemical Distribution of a Flame Retardant in a Fiberglass-Reinforced Polymer Blend as Measured with Synchrotron X-ray Tomography. Proceedings of the SPIE, 2006, 6318, 631821
Jan L. Eilertsen, Randall W. Hall, Larry S. Simeral, Leslie G. Butler. Tools and Strategies for Processing Diffusion Ordered 2D NMR Spectroscopy (DOSY) of a Broad, Featureless Resonance: An Application to Methylaluminoxane (MAO). Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 2004, 378, 1574-1578
Ham, K.; Jin, H.; Al-Raoush, R.; Xie, X.; Willson, C. S.; Byerly, G. R.; Simeral, L. S.; Rivers, M. L.; Kurtz, R. L.; Butler, L. G.. Three-Dimensional Chemical Analysis: Synchrotron Tomography at Multiple X-ray Energies of Brominated Aromatic and Antimony Oxide Additives in Polystyrene. Chemistry of Materials, 2004, 16, 4032-42
Pamela L.Bryant, Walter J. Lukiw, Zhehong Gang, Randall W. Hall, and Leslie G. Butler. High Field 19.6 T 27Al Solid-State MAS NMR of in vitro Aluminated Brain Tissue. J.Mag. Res., 2004, 170, 257-62
L. G. Butler, K. Ham, C. S. Willson, M. L. Rivers, and R. L. Kurtz. Algorithms for three-dimensional chemical analysis with multi-energy tomographic data. Proceedings of the SPIE, 2004, 5535, 286-292
Leslie G. Butler. An Introduction to Solution, Solid-State, and Imaging NMR Spectroscopy (G. Gauglitz and T. Vo-Dinh, Eds). Handbook of Spectroscopy (John Wiley), 2003.
H. Jin, K. Ham, J. Y. Chan, L. G. Butler, R. L. Kurtz, S. Thiam, J. W. Robinson, R. A. Agbaria, I. M. Warner; R. E. Tracy. High Resolution Three-Dimensional Visualization and Characterization of Coronary Atherosclerosis in Vitro by Synchrotron Radiation X-ray Microtomography and Highly Localized X-ray Diffraction. Physics in Medicine and Biology, 2003, 47, 4345-56
Mrse, A. A.; Bryant, P. L.; Hormes, F. J.; Butler, L. G.; Satyanarayana, N.; Rambabu, B.. Solid-State NMR and XANES Studies of Lithium and Silver Silicate Gels Synthesized by the Sol-Gel Route. J. Non-Crystalline Solids, 2003, 318, 296-304
Kyungmin Ham, Hua Jin, Leslie G. Butler, and Richard L. Kurtz. A Microtomography Beamline at the LSU CAMD Synchrotron. Rev. Sci. Instr., 2002, 73, 1521-3
J.D. Eusden, Jr., L. Gallagher, T.T. Eighmy, B.S. Crannell, J.R. Krzanowski, L.G. Butler, F.K. Cartledge, E. Emery, E.L. Shaw and C.A. Francis. Petrographic and Spectroscopic Characterization of Phosphate-Stabilized Mine Tailings from Leadville, Colorado. Waste Management, 2002, 22, 117-35
Pamela L.Bryant, Chris R. Harwell, Anthony A. Mrse, Earl F. Emery, Zhehong Gan, Tod Caldwell, Arneil P. Reyes, Philip Kuhns, David W. Hoyt, Larry S. Simeral, Randall W. Hall, and Leslie G. Butler. Structural Characterization of MAO and Related Aluminum Complexes. Solid-State Al-27 NMR with Comparision to EFG Tensors from ab inition Molecular Orbital Calculations. J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 2001, 123, 12009-12017
J.W. Owens, L.G. Butler, C. Dupard-Julien and K. Garner. Synchrotron X-ray Microtomography, X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure, Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure, and Voxel Imaging of a Cobalt-Zeolite-Y Complex. Materials Research Bulletin, 2001, 36, 1595-1602
L.G. Butler, K. Ham, H. Jin, R.L. Kurtz. Tomography at the LSU CAMD Synchrotron: Applications to Polymer Blends. SPIE: Developments in X-Ray Tomography III, 2001, 4503, 54-61
E.F. Emery, T. Junk, T.E. Ferrell, Jr., R. De Hon' and L.G. Butler. Solid-State 2H MAS NMR Studies of TNT Absorption in Soil and Clays. Environmental Science & Technology, 2001, 35, 2973-8
R.W. Hall, L.G. Butler, S. McGuire, S.P. McGlynn, G. Lyon, R. Reese and P. Limbach. Automated, Web-Based, Second-Chance Homework, J. Chem. Ed., 2001, 78, 1704-1708
L.G. Butler. Synchtrotron Tomography. CAMD Materials Science Summer School Program, 2000,
P.L. Bryant, L.G. Butler, A.P. Reyes and P. Kuhns. 27Al Field-Swept and Frequency-Stepped NMR for Sites with Large Quadrupole Coupling Constants. Solid State NMR, 2000, 16, 63-7
L.G. Butler, J.W. Owens, F.K. Cartledge, R.L. Kurtz, G.R. Byerly, A.J. Wales, P.L. Bryant, E.F. Emery, B. Dowd and X. Xie. Synchrotron X-ray Microtomography, Electron Probe Microanalysis, and NMR of Toluene Waste in Cement. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2000, 34, 3269-75
L.G. Butler, F.K. Cartledge, J.W. Owens and B. Dowd. Synchrotron X-ray Microtomography and Solid-State NMR of Environmental Wastes in Cement. SPIE: Developments in X-Ray Tomography II, 1999, 3772, 97-104
Randall W. Hall, Leslie G. Butler, Neil R. Kestner, and Patrick A. Limbach. Combining Feedback and Assessment via Web-Based Homework. Campus-Wide Information Systems, 1999, 16, 24-26
Pam L. Bryant, Chris R. Harwell, Katherine Wu, Frank R. Fronczek, Randall W. Hall, and Leslie G. Butler. Single-Crystal 27Al NMR of Andalusite and Calculated Electric Field Gradients: The First Complete NMR Assignment for a 5-Coordinate Aluminum Site. J. Phys. Chem. A, 1999, 103, 5246-5252
T.T. Eighmy, B.J. Crannell, J.E. Krzanowski, L.G. Butler, F.K. Cartledge, E. Emery, J.D. Eusden, Jr., E.L. Shaw and C.A. Francis. Characterization and Phosphate Stabilization of Dusts from the Vitrification of MSW Combustion Residues. Waste Management, 1999, 18, 513-524
Chris R. Harwell, Anthony A. Mrse, Akilah I. Shelby, Leslie G. Butler and Randall W. Hall. Ab Initio Calculation of 81Br NQR Transition Frequencies of Brominated Aromatics (Flame Retardants). J. Phys. Chem. A, 1999, 103, 8088-8092
N.R. Kestner, P.A. Limbach, R.W. Hall and L.G. Butler. If You Build It, Will They Come?. Campus-Wide Information Systems, 1999, 16(5), 175-8
Former Ph.D. Students
- William Jarrett, PhD, (1988), NMR scientist U. of Southern Mississippi
- Maria Altbach PhD, (1988), Dept. of Radiology, U. of Arizona
- Kermin Guo PhD,, (1989), Professor, Soochow University, Taiwan
- Margaret Jackisch PhD,(1989), Defense Group, Inc.
- Ae Ja Kim Ph.D,(1992), Professor, Ewha Womans Univ., Korea
- Michael Janusa PhD, (1993), Professor, Stephen F. Austin College,
- Xiao Wu PhD,(1994), NMR scientist, Albemarle Corp.
- Youngil Lee PhD,(1994), Professor, University of Ulsan, Korea
- Greta Flowers PhD, (1999), Professor, Southern University
- Pamela Bryant PhD, (1999), Professor, Howard Payne University
- Anthony Mrse PhD,(2001) NMR Lab Manager, U. of California at San Diego
- Earl Emery,(2001) NMR applications scientist, Tecmag, Inc.
- Heath Barnett, PhD,(2008) Avoyelles Co.