Transparent ultrasonic transducers based on relaxor ferroelectric crystals for advanced photoacoustic imaging

Transparent ultrasonic transducers based on relaxor ferroelectric crystals for advanced photoacoustic imaging

Abstract Photoacoustic imaging is a promising non-invasive functional imaging modality for fundamental research and clinical diagnosis. However, achieving capillary-level resolution, wide field-of-view, and high frame rates remains challenging. To address this, we propose a transparent ultrasonic tr...

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Main Authors: Chaorui Qiu, Zhiqiang Zhang, Zhiqiang Xu, Liao Qiao, Li Ning, Shujun Zhang, Min Su, Weichang Wu, Kexin Song, Zhuo Xu, Long-Qing Chen, Hairong Zheng, Chengbo Liu, Weibao Qiu, Fei Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-12-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55032-0
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Summary:Abstract Photoacoustic imaging is a promising non-invasive functional imaging modality for fundamental research and clinical diagnosis. However, achieving capillary-level resolution, wide field-of-view, and high frame rates remains challenging. To address this, we propose a transparent ultrasonic transducer design using our developed transparent Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 crystals. Our fabrication technique incorporates quartz-glass-and-epoxy matching layers with low-resistance indium-tin-oxide electrodes through a brass-ring based structure, enabling a high frequency (28.5 MHz), wide bandwidth (78%), and enhanced pulse-echo sensitivity (2.5 V under 2-μJ pulse excitation). Our Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3-based transparent ultrasonic transducer demonstrates a four-fold enhancement in photoacoustic detection sensitivity when compared to the LiNbO3-based counterpart, leading to a 13 dB improvement of signal-to-noise ratio in microvascular photoacoustic imaging. This enables dynamic monitoring of mouse cerebral cortex microvasculature during seizures at 0.8 Hz frame rates over a 1.5 × 1.5 mm2 field-of-view. Our work paves the way for high-performance and compact photoacoustic imaging systems using advanced piezoelectric materials.
ISSN:2041-1723

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