Preparation and characterization of polyurethane optical phantoms

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Accurate simulation of biological tissue optical properties is crucial for developing and validating optical imaging techniques.
• Existing phantoms often lack long-term stability or precise control over optical properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a stable polyurethane-based phantom with tunable optical properties.
• To simulate the absorption and scattering characteristics of biological tissues at visible and near-infrared wavelengths.

Main Methods:

• Incorporation of molecular absorbers (Epolight 6084 and 4148) for specific wavelength absorption (690 nm and 830 nm).
• Utilized titanium dioxide (TiO2) particles to control scattering properties.
• Characterized absorption and scattering stability over time and across large batch fabrication.

Main Results:

• Achieved independent absorption control up to 5 cm⁻¹ at 690 nm and 3 cm⁻¹ at 830 nm.
• Demonstrated linear absorption with concentration and stability of dyes post-curing (≤4% change).
• Showcased low batch-to-batch variation (±3%) and long-term optical property stability (>1 year).

Conclusions:

• The developed polyurethane phantom offers a stable and reproducible platform for simulating tissue optics.
• Its tunable absorption and scattering properties make it suitable as a reference standard for optical measurements.
• The phantom's long-term stability ensures reliable performance in biomedical optics applications.