Miniaturized multi-coil arrays for functional planar imaging with a single-sided NMR sensor

Area of Science:

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Materials Science
• Engineering

Background:

• Low-field NMR sensors like the Profile NMR-MOUSE® often exhibit poor sensitivity due to low magnetic fields and frequencies.
• Micro-coils can enhance sensitivity but are typically limited to high-field NMR applications.
• Current single-sided NMR probes have restricted lateral accessibility for imaging, leading to long acquisition times.

Purpose of the Study:

• To improve sensitivity in low-field NMR sensors.
• To enable lateral spatial resolution and faster imaging within the sensitive plane.
• To overcome the limitations of current NMR probes for time-dependent process imaging.

Main Methods:

• Development and optimization of sensitivity-enhanced micro-structured RF coils for low frequencies.
• Construction and characterization of three- and four-coil arrays.
• Integration of coil arrays with a Profile NMR-MOUSE®.
• Analysis of coil coupling, noise correlation, and signal combination techniques.

Main Results:

• Achieved improved sensitivity using micro-structured RF coils and arrays.
• Enabled simultaneous observation at multiple points with lateral spatial resolution.
• Successfully characterized coil arrays for low-field NMR applications.
• Demonstrated lateral imaging of moisture transport in travertine and drying of paint.

Conclusions:

• The developed micro-structured RF coil arrays significantly enhance sensitivity and lateral imaging capabilities for low-field NMR.
• These advancements allow for the study of time-dependent processes with improved speed and resolution.
• The technology overcomes previous accessibility and speed limitations in single-sided NMR probes.