Single-Shot Multicontrast X-ray Imaging for In Situ Visualization of Chemical Reaction Products.

We present the application of single-shot multicontrast X-ray imaging with an inverted Hartmann mask to the time-resolved in situ visualization of chemical reaction products. The real-time monitoring of an illustrative chemical reaction indicated the formation of the precipitate by the absorption, differential phase, and scattering contrast images obtained from a single projection. Through these contrast channels, the formation of the precipitate along the mixing line of the reagents, the border between the solid and the solution, and the presence of the scattering structures of 100-200 nm sizes were observed. The measurements were performed in a flexible and robust setup, which can be tailored to various imaging applications at different time scales.