TY - JOUR AB - Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to describe a novel, nanomaterial‐based X‐ray imaging technology, developed at the University of North Carolina.Design/methodology/approach– The paper describes a unique X‐ray source, based on field emission from a carbon nanotube (CNT) cold cathode and discusses its application to computer tomography (CT).Findings– CNT‐based X‐ray sources are shown to offer improved performance over conventional thermionic devices and allow the design of gantry‐free, stationary CT systems with faster scanning speeds and better image quality. The field emission technology has been commercialised by Xintek and a joint venture with Siemens, XinRay Systems, aims to commercialise CT imagers based on the technology.Originality/value– The paper describes a novel approach to the generation of X‐rays and its use in medical CT imaging systems. VL - 30 IS - 4 SN - 0260-2288 DO - 10.1108/02602281011072134 UR - https://doi.org/10.1108/02602281011072134 AU - Bogue Robert PY - 2010 Y1 - 2010/01/01 TI - Novel X‐ray scanner based on nanomaterials T2 - Sensor Review PB - Emerald Group Publishing Limited SP - 276 EP - 278 Y2 - 2024/04/19 ER -