The Impacts of High Permittivity Materials on Various Multichannel Transceiver Arrays for Human Head Imaging at 10.5 Tesla

Motivation: Since RF power requirements increase with operating frequency, SAR levels at UHF represent practical limitations. Here we evaluate possible improvements in overall transmit efficiency and SNR of array coils for the human head at 10.5T through the utilization of high permittivity materials. Goal(s): Our goal was to evaluate the impact of high permittivity materials (HPM) on the transmit efficiency and SNR for various transceiver array designs. Approach: We experimentally evaluated four multichannel transceiver arrays of different architectures with and without a formfitting HPM former. Results: The HPM coil former achieved improvements in transmit efficiency and SNR compared to a typical polycarbonate coil former. Impact: Incorporating high permittivity dielectric materials into the design and fabrication of pTx-capable transceiver array coils demonstrated improved transmit efficiency and SNR. This technology has the potential to improve imaging and spectroscopic applications in the human head at 10.5T and beyond.