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Published on: February 27, 2011
Development of Ferrite-Based Temperature Sensors for Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Study of Cu1-xZnxFe2O4
N A Alghamdi1, J H Hankiewicz1, N R Anderson1
1UCCS BioFrontiers Center, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado 80918, USA.
Abstract:
We investigate the use of Cu1-x Zn x Fe2O4 ferrites (0.60 < x < 0.76) as potential sensors for magnetic- resonance-imaging thermometry. Samples are prepared by a standard ceramic technique. Their structural and magnetic properties are determined using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, super-conducting quantum-interference device magnetometry, and Mossbauer and 3-T nuclear-magnetic-resonance spectroscopies. We use the mass magnetization of powdered ferrites and transverse relaxivity r*2 of water protons in Ringer's-solution-based agar gels with embedded micron-sized particles to determine the best composition for magnetic-resonance-imaging (MRI) temperature sensors in the (280-323)-K range. A preclinical 3-T MRI scanner is employed to acquire T*2 weighted temperature-dependent images. The brightness of the MRI images is cross-correlated with the temperature of the phantoms, which allows for a temperature determination with approximately 1°C accuracy. We determine that the composition of 0.65 < x < 0.70 is the most suitable for MRI thermometry near human body temperature.
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