Flexible and compact hybrid metasurfaces for enhanced ultra high field in vivo magnetic resonance imaging

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel hybrid metasurface designed to enhance ultra-high field MRI performance, demonstrating its integration into clinical systems and successful in vivo human brain imaging at 7 Tesla.

Contribution

A new flexible, compact hybrid metasurface structure is developed for improved MRI sensitivity, enabling clinical application and in vivo imaging at ultra-high fields.

Findings

Enhanced local sensitivity in human brain imaging at 7 Tesla

Successful integration of metasurface into MRI coil array

Feasibility of clinical application demonstrated

Abstract

Developments in metamaterials and related structures such as metasurfaces have opened up new possibilities in designing materials and devices with unique properties. The main progress related to electromagnetic waves applications was done in optical and microwave spectra. Here we report about a new hybrid metasurface structure, comprising a two-dimensional metamaterial surface and a very high permittivity dielectric substrate that was designed to enhance the performance of an ultra-high field MRI scanner. This new flexible and compact resonant structure is the first one which can be integrated into a multi-element close-fitting receive coil array used for all clinical MRI. We successfully demonstrated the operation of the metasurface in acquiring vivo human brain images and spectra with enhanced local sensitivity on a commercial 7 Tesla system. These experimental findings prove the feasibility of real clinical applications of metasurfaces in MRI.