3D-printed dissolvable inserts for efficient and customizable fabrication of NMR transceiver coils

• Published in: Journal of magnetic resonance (1997) Vol. 305; pp. 89 - 92
• Main Authors: Kelz, Jessica I., Kelly, John E., Martin, Rachel W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-08-2019
• Subjects: 3D printing; Equipment Design; Magnetic field simulation; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy - instrumentation; MAS probe; NMR instrumentation; Printing, Three-Dimensional; Radio Waves; Reproducibility of Results; RF homogeneity; Transceiver coil; Variable-pitch solenoid; NMR instrumentation; RF homogeneity; Magnetic field simulation; Transceiver coil; Variable-pitch solenoid; 3D printing; MAS probe
• ISSN: 1090-7807; 1096-0856
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jmr.2019.06.008

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•3D-printed forms improve the ease of fabrication for NMR transceiver coils.•Dissolvable inserts are easy to remove without damaging the coil.•This approach can make coil production more reproducible.•Data agreement with simulated magnetic fields demonstrates achievable coil designs.
We describe a simplified method for improving the reproducibility of transceiver coil fabrication for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) through single-use templates made from 3D-printed polymer forms. The utility of dissolvable inserts for achieving performance enhanced resonators (DIAPERs) is tested herein by a comparison of RF homogeneity along the rotor axis for variable-pitch solenoids with different inter-turn spacing. Simulated B1 field profiles are compared to experimental homogeneity measurements, demonstrating the potential of this approach for making NMR coils quickly and reproducibly.