Search

This work introduces an innovative magnetic resonance (MR) imaging technology that incorporates radiofrequency (RF) coil(s) with permittivity-tunable ultrahigh dielectric constant (tuHDC) ceramics to significantly improve RF coil transmission and reception efficiencies, MR imaging sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The tuHDC ceramics made of composite barium strontium titanate (BST) compounds (Ba 0.6 Sr 0.4 TiO 3 ) have low dielectric loss and very high permittivity tunability from 2,000 to 15000 by varying the ceramic temperature between 0°C and 40°C to achieve an optimal permittivity for MR imaging application. We demonstrated for the first time the proof of concept using the BST-based tuHDC-RF-coil technology to improve MR spectroscopic imaging performance of 17 O nuclide at 10.5 Tesla (T) at a low ceramic temperature and 23 Na nuclide at 7T at room temperature. We discovered a large and spatially independent noise reduction under an optimal ceramic temperature, which synergistically resulted in an unprecedented SNR improvement. Large improvements were also demonstrated for 1 H MRI on a 1.5T clinical scanner using the same ceramics. The tuHDC-RF-coil technology is robust, flexible and cost-effective; it presents a technical breakthrough to significantly improve imaging sensitivity and resolution for broad MR imaging applications; which is critical for advancing biomedical and neuroscience research, and improving diagnostic imaging.