Twist-Tuned Bilayer Metasurface for 3T MRI

TL;DR

This paper introduces a bilayer metasurface for 3T MRI that can be easily tuned after fabrication by adjusting its geometry, improving image quality by better controlling the RF field.

Contribution

The study demonstrates a simple, tunable bilayer metasurface that maintains resonance under water load by adjusting rotation and gap, enhancing MRI imaging capabilities.

Findings

Water load shifts resonance by 4.2-11.4 MHz

Layer rotation shifts resonance by 13.2-14.9 MHz

Improved imaging of internal features in a phantom

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can see deep inside the body without ionizing radiation, but image quality depends strongly on how well the radio-frequency field is controlled. Passive resonant pads and metasurfaces can help, yet they often lose their tuning when they are placed next to water-rich tissue or tissue-like materials. Here we show a simple way to bring such a device back into tune. We built a bilayer metasurface made of two aluminum wire arrays. One layer can rotate relative to the other, and the gap between the two layers can also be adjusted. Bench measurements show that adding a controlled water load shifts the resonance to lower frequency by about \SIrange{4.2}{11.4}{\mega\hertz}. Rotating the layers shifts it back by about \SIrange{13.2}{14.9}{\mega\hertz}, which is much stronger than changing the gap alone. One loaded setting lands essentially at the proton frequency used in \SI{3}{\tesla} MRI. In a proof-of-concept scan on a clinical \SI{3}{\tesla} system, the metasurface made internal features in a structured pineapple phantom easier to see than in a substrate-only control. These results show that a passive MRI metasurface can be tuned after fabrication and retuned under load using geometry alone, opening a practical route to simple adjustable RF accessories for MRI.