Low-Loss Switches for Multinuclear MRI/S Using Stimuli-Responsive Polymer Materials

The development of highly sensitive multinuclear RF coils for MRI/S is challenging because most current multi-tuning techniques involve the addition of lossy components. Although it is possible to optimize for a particular nucleus, usually non-1H, multinuclear coils have lower SNR than their single-tuned counterparts. We investigate a novel switching system that uses stimuli-responsive materials. The coils with the proposed switching method had a decrease of <26% in Q when compared to single-tuned coils. As a result, we demonstrated a promising alternative to traditional switching techniques.