Anatomical characterization of Fraxinus uhdei wood by coupling computed microtomography and SEM

This work performs an anatomical characterization of Fraxinus uhdei wood to identify different woody tissues and their interconnectivity. Computed microtomography as a non-destructive technique and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) can determine the anatomical composition of such wood. A dry defectless specimen was analyzed by 3D images with two different voxel size resolutions, 1.6 and 4 µm. Next, the samples were observed by SEM. Measurements such as cell wall and cavity and volume fraction parameters were determined. The distribution of wall thickness, length, volume, diameter, lumen, and pore area were obtained. It is concluded that coupling both techniques allows us to characterize the complex wood anatomy fully. However, for 3D measurements with algorithms, the voxel size and the precision in the segmentation of elements, as well as the degree of specialization of the algorithm used, is fundamental for the choice of parameters.