InterPore2026

Imaging surface reactivity in porous materials by positron emission tomography

19 May 2026, 14:50

15m

Oral Presentation (MS10) Advances in imaging porous media: techniques, software and case studies MS10

Speaker

Cornelius Fischer (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)

Description

Tomographic techniques play an important role in the parametrization and validation of reactive transport models by enabling spatially and temporally resolved observations of transport processes. Imaging-based approaches, in particular, enable direct observation of flow paths that are impossible to infer from bulk measurements alone. These approaches also allow for the detection of localized alterations in transport pathways that would otherwise be difficult to identify. In recent years, positron emission tomography (PET) has emerged as a powerful tool for investigating transport phenomena at the laboratory scale [1, 2].
A novel advancement is the application of PET to the tomographic investigation of surface reactivity, with a particular focus on sorption reactions. By directly quantifying ionic radiotracers that undergo reversible or irreversible sorption, PET can be used to spatially resolve interface reactivity [3]. In this contribution, we present recent results from sorption and desorption tomography experiments. These results demonstrate that it is possible to make quantitative assessments of contrasts in surface reactivity without relying on a priori assumptions about specific surface area or surface normalization. Instead, reactivity contrasts are inferred directly from the observed tracer dynamics, providing an integrated measure of surface–solute interaction under flow conditions [4].
These advances open up a wide range of potential applications. In the context of nuclear waste disposal, PET-based surface reactivity tomography offers new possibilities for investigating radionuclide retention on barrier materials. In radioecology and environmental geochemistry, the method enables mechanistic trace-level studies of contaminant uptake, remobilization, and competitive sorption processes in heterogeneous systems.

References:

1. Schabernack, J.; Kulenkampff, J.; Fischer, C., Direct observation of fluid flow pattern formation in sandstone due to coupled dissolution and clogging processes. Journal of Hydrology 2025, 661, 133868.
2. Zhou, W.; Kulenkampff, J.; Zuna, M.; Jankovský, F.; Butscher, C.; Kammel, R.; Schäfer, T.; Fischer, C., Variability of effective diffusivity in fractured and mineralized metamorphic host rock from Bukov URF, Bohemian Massif (CZ). Applied Geochemistry 2025, 193, 106574.
3. Schöngart, J.; Kulenkampff, J.; Fischer, C., Positron emission tomography quantifies crystal surface reactivity during sorption reactions. Chemical Geology 2024, 665, 122305.
4. Schöngart, J.; Lindemann, M.; Klotzsche, M.; Franke, K.; Fischer, C., Quantitative tomography of contaminant phytomobilization: β+ emitters 83Sr and 86Y as tracers of fission-product analog mobility. Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 2026, 21, 100952.