Research
Future
Technology at Doty Scientific
For
the latest updates and a chronological log of our major R&D developments
of the past several years, please see "What's
New".
Solids NMR
Doty Scientific
began 29 years ago because an MAS probe that could easily spin a sample
at 5 kHz was needed
for NMR of solids but was not available. Much of our instrument development
for NMR of solids was directed by customers in that way. However,
sometimes the innovations were Doty driven – things like the Doty XC probes
that permit highest performance H/X/Y MAS in large samples at the highest
fields.
But you came
to this page to see where we are going, not where we have been. We
invite you to take a look at our progress on our new SAS (switched angle
spinner) probes and our Cryo-MAS project, both of which have been partially supported by NIH SBIR grants.
Sample heating
from rf decoupling currently imposes serious limitations
on MAS of
biological solids. We have always known that our two-coil XC (cross coil)
MAS probes offer superior S/N and very low decoupler heating with
excellent B1 matching on all channels. In 2004, we better
quantified the performance at 750 MHz. The performance even surprised us,
and more
improvements are coming soon. To learn more, please visit the page on the
750 MHz XC4 Triple-Resonance
MAS Results.
Download
the .pdf copy of the "Decoupler Heating" Poster,
ENC 2004 and ISMAR 2004
A
resurgence in interest in Switched
Angle Spinning (SAS) has been spurred
by recent analyses and experiments that indicate novel SAS
techniques should provide useful dynamic control over
bicelle alignment. The XC7 WB SAS
probe has unprecedented switching time, resolution, and robustness.
We are developing a new narrow-bore SAS probe. To learn more
about the research concerning this new probe, download
a copy of a presented technical poster on SAS probe developments
,
ENC 2006
MRI
Those familiar
with Doty Scientific, Inc. know that Doty’s linear rf Litz coils
offer higher S/N, better homogeneity, and much greater tuning flexibility
than was considered achievable before their introduction in 1997 for a
wide range of small-animal imaging applications (especially double-resonance)
at fields up to 500 MHz.
In 2002, we
introduced our circular polarization Litzcage coils,
which represent the ultimate in robust, easy-to-use, fully optimized rf
coils for single resonance MRI at very high fields. These coils are
being used in numerous small animal platforms and modules and developments
in progress are expected to further improve their performance in the near
future, as well as permit more options for double-tuning. The first of
our new, passive, 3T head Litzcage coils
has been tested and has demonstrated unmatched performance. In 2004, we
completed
a
smaller diameter 3 T litzcage head coil designed for
imaging in the
Siemens Allegra imager. We are also quite proud of our new Double-tuned
1H/31P 3T Homogeneous CP Head Coil with Improved Usability (technical
poster presented at ISMRM 2005). Both
of these new coils are now at test sites. For more information, please
visit the page on Head
RF Coils. We
developed a
plug-compatible interface unit providing two ultra-low-noise
quadrature preamps and ultra-low-loss T/R switch/hybrid circuitry.
This allows lower-cost passive coils to be used with Siemens systems
designed for active coils and will enhance the S/N in other cases.
For many years,
Doty Scientific has supplied vertical-bore
imaging probes with high-strength
gradients
and highest-performance rf coils. In 2003, we delivered a
vertical-bore probe that re-defines "quantum leap" in technology. To
our knowledge, prior circular-polarization (CP) coils have not been successful
above 500 MHz for samples larger than 5 mm. We demonstrated
unprecedented 50-micron resolution in a robust, 21 mm CP Litzcage
at 750 MHz .
Baby
Shark
21
mm CP litzcage at 750MHz
Poster
on "11 cm, 500 MHz, Hybrid Birdcage with Improved Tuning Range", ISMRM
2005
Poster
on "Numerical and Experimental Evaluation of the HP Litzcage for
Human Head MRI at 3T", ENC 2004
750
MHz Imaging Poster,
ENC 2003
Energy
Most of our NMR and MRI customers are surprised to learn
that energy-related R&D has been a small but important component of the
research at Doty Scientific from the beginning. Our focus has been primarily
on novel concepts and designs for small, efficient microturbines. Recently,
we have come to accept that the diesel engine has won, and it is time to
bow out gracefully – well, sorta. We have also come to realize how
confused, or at least misdirected, much of the rest of futuristic energy
research has become over the past six years, and we would like to offer an
unbiased, scientific perspective on renewables and hydrogen.
Check out our energy work. www.windfuels.com
