In a radical re-engineering of one of the most familiar medical devices, University of North Carolina researchers have used arrays of carbon nanotubes as tiny electron guns, in place of the usual tungsten filament in a new X-ray scanner due for clinical testing later this year.

The new device is capable of taking clear, high-resolution images using its novel multi-beam nanotube X-ray source. Instead of having a single source of X-rays that must be moved, together with the detector, round the object to be scanned as in conventional computerized tomography (CT) scanner, multiple nanotube emitters are turned on and off in sequence to take pictures from different angles without the machine moving. Because the nanotubes emit X-rays instantaneously when a voltage is applied, without the need to heat up like a conventional X-ray tube, the new device should be able to capture more images per second thereby decreasing blur and increasing resolution. Additionally, the new device should be able to capture a 3-D image whilst simultaneously treating the patient with precisely targeted X-rays, e.g. in cancer radiotherapy.

Source: MIT Technology Review