Metasurface Resonator for 1.5 T MRI Based on BaTiO3 Host Material

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a widely used clinical tool for medical diagnosis and therapy. Several research studies focus on passively improving MRI sensitivity using high dielectric constant (HDC) materials and metamaterials. In this work, we investigate a new metasurface resonator which can enhance local transmit and receive efficiency in 1.5T MRI. The metasurface has been realized with an array of non-magnetic rods embedded in two blocks of a BaTiO₃ aqueous mixture. BaTiO₃ when mixed with water exhibits high dielectric permittivity values in the 40-200 MHz range, allowing the design of a compact and safe device for practical use in an MRI scanner. Simulation results show 50% enhancement of the magnetic field in the region-of-interest. The resonance frequency of the metasurface is also validated experimentally with a small loop antenna and a vector network analyzer (VNA) in a laboratory-controlled environment.