Solid phantom recipe for diffuse optics in biophotonics applications: a step towards anatomically correct 3D tissue...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Accurate optical phantoms are crucial for developing and validating biomedical optical imaging techniques.
• Existing phantom materials may not cover the broad range of optical properties found in human tissues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel recipe for creating robust, well-tested solid optical phantoms.
• To characterize the optical properties of the developed phantom material over a broadband spectrum.
• To demonstrate the potential for 3D printing of biomedical phantoms.

Main Methods:

• A phantom recipe using black silicone pigment (absorber), silica microspheres (scatterer), and silicone rubber (SiliGlass) was developed.
• Optical properties (absorption and reduced scattering) were characterized across a 600-1100 nm spectrum.
• Reproducibility and spatial homogeneity were assessed across multiple preparations.

Main Results:

• The phantom recipe achieved optical properties relevant to human organs (absorption 0.1-1 cm⁻¹, reduced scattering 5-25 cm⁻¹).
• Linear scaling of optical properties and absence of absorber-scatterer coupling were confirmed.
• High reproducibility (4%) and spatial homogeneity were achieved.

Conclusions:

• The presented recipe provides a reliable method for fabricating solid optical phantoms with tunable optical properties.
• The material's characteristics support its use in various biomedical optical applications.
• The work highlights the potential for 3D printing of complex, organ-mimicking phantoms for future biomedical relevance.