Adsorbed Eutectic GaIn Structures on a Neoprene Foam for Stretchable MRI Coils

Abstract

Stretchable conductors based on eutectic gallium–indium (eGaIn) alloy are patterned on a polychloroprene substrate (neoprene foam) using stencil printing. By tuning the amount of eGaIn on the neoprene substrate, different strain-sensitivity of electrical resistance is achieved. Conductors with a layer of eGaIn, which adsorbs to the walls of 60–100 µm wide neoprene cells, change their electrical resistance for 5% at 100% strain. When the amount of eGaIn is increased, the cells are filled with eGaIn and the strain-sensitivity of the electrical resistance rises to 300% at 100% strain. The developed conductors are patterned as stretchable on-body coils for receiving magnetic signals in a clinical magnetic resonance imaging setup. First images with a stretchable coil are acquired on an orange and compared to the images that are recorded using a rigid copper coil of the same size.

Stretchable conductors based on eutectic gallium–indium (eGaIn) alloy are fabricated on a substrate with a microstructured surface (neoprene foam). By varying the amount of the eGaIn alloy during stencil-printing, the strain sensitivity of electrical resistance is tuned from 5% to 300% at 100% strain. The developed conductors are used to fabricate stretchable on-body coils for magnetic resonance imaging.

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