“…In recent years, a novel x-ray imaging technique, x-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI) with contrast based on the refractive index rather than on absorption, has demonstrated its unique forte when dealing with weakly absorbing samples, such as soft tissues and polymers (Momose 1995, Davis et al 1995, Chapman et al 1997, Snigirev et al 1995, Yokosuka et al 2002. Its potential applications in diverse fields, especially in the fields of clinical and material science have been heavily reported in the last 10 years (Keyrilaeinen et al 2005, Rocha et al 2005, Gao et al 1999, Takeda et al 2001, Stevenson et al 2003, Arfelli et al 2003, Tsai et al 2002, Hwu et al 2002, Besseghini et al 2004.…”