Microstructure

Microstructure refers of the microscopic description of the individual constituents of a material. The length scale is 100-1 micrometer, well above the atomic levels. In metals or other homogenous materials, this implies a uniform microstructure, while in alloys, sedimentary rocks and biological matter the microstructure contains all the information regarding the distribution of the individual constituents within the material.

Nondestructive evaluation of microstructure for biological materials is a challenge and Computer Microtomography is the current solution. In fact, CMT can be used for the evaluation of microstructure of many other materials also. CMT can be very expensive though, and for research purposes, it is a necessity to generate a 3dimensional microstructure from 2dimensional crosssectional images of the material. This is an area of active research and pursued right now by many scientists.