University of Minnesota

The Penn State Research Foundation

Sebastian Rupprecht

Michael T Lanagan

Wei Chen

Xiao-Hong Zhu

Qing X Yang

Navid P Gandji

Byeong-Yeul Lee

Hannes M Wiesner

Maryam Sarkarat

An apparatus for transmitting and receiving radiofrequency (RF) signals in a magnetic resonance imaging system for proton and X-nuclear imaging includes at least one radiofrequency (RF) coil and an ultrahigh dielectric constant material incorporated within the at least one RF coil. The permittivity of the ultrahigh dielectric constant material depends on a temperature of the material and is tunable. The apparatus also includes a temperature controller that is thermally coupled to the ultrahigh dielectric constant material. The temperature controller is configured to control a temperature of the ultrahigh dielectric constant material to tune and optimize the permittivity of the ultrahigh dielectric constant material. A chemical structure and composition of the ultrahigh dielectric constant material is selected to control and optimize the permittivity and a dielectric loss of the ultrahigh dielectric constant material and a temperature dependence of the ultrahigh dielectric constant material. The apparatus provides denoising effect, high RF coil transmission and reception efficiencies, and improved signal-to-noise ratio for magnetic resonance or spectroscopic imaging applications and has a potential to advance clinical imaging for diagnosis.

Apparatus and method for tuning the permittivity of ultrahigh dielectric constant materials in an RF coil for MR imaging

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University Park, PA, United States of America

Sebastian Rupprecht