Investigation of bone and cartilage by synchrotron scanning-SAXS and -WAXD with micrometer spatial resolution

Biological materials such as bone or wood are hierarchically structured to optimize mechanical and other properties. Several methods and experimental techniques are usually needed to study these materials on different length scales. We developed a device for small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), optimized for position resolved investigations of bone sections using synchrotron radiation. Thin samples can be scanned with 20 µm steps, acquiring two-dimensional SAXS or WAXD patterns at every point. The system was tested by performing one-dimensional scans across bone cartilage interfaces, revealing information about size, shape and orientation of nanometer sized mineral particles as well as about crystal type and texture of these particles.