Feasibility Study of Enhancing Microwave Brain Imaging Using Metamaterials

Area of Science:

• Electromagnetics and Applied Physics
• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Microwave brain imaging offers a safe, non-ionizing alternative for neuroimaging.
• Current limitations include poor signal penetration and detection sensitivity.
• Metamaterials (MMs) show potential for enhancing electromagnetic wave interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel metamaterial (MM) planar design for enhanced microwave brain imaging.
• To assess the MM's performance as an impedance-matching layer and signal enhancer.
• To investigate the MM's utility in detecting simulated brain hemorrhages.

Main Methods:

• Design and fabrication of a cross-shaped split-ring resonator (SRR-CS) metamaterial (MM).
• Experimental and simulation (CST Microwave Studio®) analysis of MM interaction with electromagnetic waves.
• Testing the MM in contact with skin tissue and integrated into a headband scanner setup.
• Evaluation of signal penetration and detection of a blood-like dielectric target.

Main Results:

• The MM acts as an effective impedance-matching layer, enhancing transmitted signal penetration into a human head model.
• The MM significantly improves the detection of weak signals, increasing the signal difference from a simulated hemorrhage.
• The MM demonstrated improved performance compared to a scenario without metamaterials.

Conclusions:

• The proposed MM film, based on SRR-CS, is a promising hardware advancement for microwave brain imaging.
• This technology can potentially lead to improved scanners for brain hemorrhage detection and monitoring.
• Metamaterial-enhanced microwave imaging offers a pathway to safer and more sensitive neuroimaging techniques.