Rapid fabrication of integrated liquid metal stretchable receiver coils using 3D printing.

Motivation: Most commercial MRI coil designs are rigid, prohibiting optimal SNR and patient comfort. Flexible coils conform to anatomies varying in size/shape and significantly improve image quality in applications such as breast imaging. Goal(s): We optimize manufacturing of our previously developed stretchable coils by direct integration of liquid metal within the polymeric coil substrate to allow for rapid one-step fabrication of multi-element arrays in the future. Approach: Liquid metal is directly 3D printed on the substrate to expedite/integrate fabrication. Results: A stretchable single element is fabricated and resonance at the 3T Larmor frequency is demonstrated. Impact: Our novel 3D printing technique simplifies the production of stretchable liquid metal MRI coils, ensuring consistent quality and efficiency. With reduced fabrication time and elimination of manual injection steps, this technology facilitates seamless construction of multi-channel stretchable coil arrays.