Recent developments in photoacoustic imaging and sensing for nondestructive testing and evaluation

Photoacoustic (PA) imaging has been widely used in biomedical research and preclinical studies during the past two decades. It has also been explored for nondestructive testing and evaluation (NDT/E) and for industrial applications. This paper describes the basic principles of PA technology for NDT/E and its applications in recent years. PA technology for NDT/E includes the use of a modulated continuous-wave laser and a pulsed laser for PA wave excitation, PA-generated ultrasonic waves, and all-optical PA wave excitation and detection. PA technology for NDT/E has demonstrated broad applications, including the imaging of railway cracks and defects, the imaging of Li metal batteries, the measurements of the porosity and Young’s modulus, the detection of defects and damage in silicon wafers, and a visualization of underdrawings in paintings.