Design and Dynamic In Vivo Validation of a Multi-Channel Stretchable Liquid Metal Coil Array

作者：Elizaveta Motovilova, Terry Ching, Jana Vincent, Ek T. Tan, Victor Taracila, Fraser Robb, Michinao Hashimoto, Darryl B. Sneag, Simone Winkler · 发表于：Materials · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.3390/ma17133325 · 被引用次数：3 · 研究领域：Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials、Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications、Muscle activation and electromyography studies

Recent developments in the field of radiofrequency (RF) coils for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offer flexible and patient-friendly solutions. Previously, we demonstrated a proof-of-concept single-element stretchable coil design based on liquid metal and a self-tuning smart geometry. In this work, we numerically analyze and experimentally study a multi-channel stretchable coil array and demonstrate its application in dynamic knee imaging. We also compare our flexible coil array to a commonly used commercial rigid coil array. Our numerical analysis shows that the proposed coil array maintains its resonance frequency (<1% variation) and sensitivity (<6%) at various stretching configurations from 0% to 30%. We experimentally demonstrate that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the acquired MRI images is improved by up to four times with the stretchable coil array due to its conformal and therefore tight-fitting nature. This stretchable array allows for dynamic knee imaging at different flexion angles, infeasible with traditional, rigid coil arrays. These findings are significant as they address the limitations of current rigid coil technology, offering a solution that enhances patient comfort and image quality, particularly in applications requiring dynamic imaging.