T 1-mapping and dielectric properties evaluation of a 3D printable rubber-elastomeric polymer as tissue mimicking materials for MRI phantoms

Abstract

In this study, a new series of 3D printable rubber-elastomeric polymer called PORO-LAY materials have been investigated regarding their suitability to serve as tissue mimicking materials (TMMs) for MRI phantoms. PORO-LAY materials have been previously used in biofuel cell developments, particle filtrations and modeling elastic tissues. We evaluated the electrical permittivity, electrical conductivity, spin-lattice T _1 -relaxation time and acquired the MRI contrast for simple and multi-material complex 3D printed shapes made of PORO-LAY materials at 3.0 T. The results showed a T _1 diversity within PORO-LAY materials, which reveals in different MR image contrasts. The outcome favors PORO-LAY as an appropriate candidate that can be used in multi-materials additive manufacturing to produce realistic shapes such as white/grey matter structures for MRI phantoms with visible clear contrast. Finally, this study could serve as a reference and guideline when using these materials as tissue mimicking materials for different types of human body tissues and provide a promising opportunity to design novel phantoms for a wide range of MRI applications.

Keywords

• 3D printing
• Magnetic resonance imaging
• T1 relaxation time
• Dielectric properties
• tissue mimicking materials
• Phantom