Magnetics Business & Technology - Summer 2014 - (Page 15)

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT NIST Chip Produces and Detects Specialized Gas for Biomedical Analysis A chip-scale device that both produces and detects a specialized um atoms' electrons. The rubidium atoms then exchange spin with the gas used in biomedical analysis and medical imaging has been built nuclei of the xenon atoms, enhancing their polarization and hence the and demonstrated at the National Institute of Standards and Technol- NMR signal. ogy (NIST). The new microfluidic chip produces polarized (or magneThe polarized xenon and rubidium atoms then flow into a detection tized) xenon gas and then detects even the faintest magnetic signals chamber. Due to the atoms' magnetic interactions the sensor can defrom the gas. tect weak signals corresponding to fewer than 1 trillion polarized xenon Polarized xenon, with the atoms' nuclear "spins" aligned like bar mag- atoms, a result competitive with low-field optical magnetometry. nets in the same direction, can be dissolved in liquids and used to detect The combination of a xenon polarizer and detector in the same dethe presence of certain molecules. A chemical interaction with target vice, together with the extraordinary sensitivity of the chip device, could molecules subtly alters the magnetic signal from the xenon; by detecting help make polarized xenon technology portable and less expensive for cwieme_berlin_2014_bis_corretto_Layout 1 24/05/14 17:55 Pagina 1 this change researchers can identify the molecules in a complex mixture. biomedical and other applications outside research laboratories. Polarized xenon is also used as a contrast agent to enhance images in experimental magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of human lungs, but conventional systems for producing and using this gas can be as big as a car. LABORATORIO ELETTROFISICO WALKER LDJ SCIENTIFIC YOUR MAGNETIC BUSINESS RESOURCE Illustration of NIST chip that makes polarized xenon gas. Xenon atoms (green) are loaded into the chamber on the left. The xenon flows into the next chamber, where the atoms are polarized through collisions with rubidium atoms (red) that are illuminated with circularly polarized light. Then the xenon flows into the smaller chamber, where its polarization is measured, using the rubidium atoms in the same chamber as magnetometers. Atoms exit the chip from the chamber on the far right. Credit: NIST Researchers from NIST and three other institutions developed the new chip, which might be used to reduce the size and cost of some instruments that, like MRI, rely on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The chip's sensitive internal detector boosts the response of microfluidic NMR on small samples and eliminates the need for the powerful magnets associated with larger NMR devices such as those used in MRI. The microfabricated chip could be mass produced and integrated easily with existing microfluidic systems. "We envision this device being an element in a more complex microfluidic NMR system, maybe for medical diagnostics," NIST physicist and co-author John Kitching said. The device is related to NIST's chip-scale magnetometer but has additional capabilities and different applications, Kitching said. Like the older NIST device, the new chip uses rubidium atoms as magnetometers to detect the xenon polarization, but they also multitask. The novel design also uses the rubidium atoms to polarize the xenon atoms, boosting their NMR response, and mixes the two types of atoms in the same chamber at the detection stage, which enhances the signal strength 500-fold. The device is housed in a silicon and glass chip about 3 cm long with four small chambers connected by microchannels. In one chamber, circularly polarized light transfers angular momentum to the rubidi- www.MagneticsMagazine.com Established in 1959; LE Engineering is a leading global supplier of Magnetic Measurement and Production Magnetizing Equipment. Our products include: Hysteresisgraphs, Fluxmeters, Magnetic Scanners, Gaussmeters, Hall Probes, Fluxgate Magnetometers, Helmholtz Coils, Electromagnets and Power Supplies, Solenoids, Magnetizers, and Demagnetizers. LE Engineering offers three full service magnetic testing labs located in Italy, USA and China. All Equipment is available for customer demo. We also feature Developmental Magnetizing fixtures, prototype coils and consulting to assist customers in defining and achieving optimum magnetic results and saturation. Please contact one of our offices today to discuss your magnetic application. 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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Magnetics Business & Technology - Summer 2014

Editor's Choice
Moving Beyond Helium in Magnetics Research
Advances in Ferrite-Integrated On-Chip Inductors Using Aerosol Deposition
A Fresh Look at Design of Buck and Boost Inductors for SMPS Converters
Research & Development
Handheld Three-Axis Magnetometers
Magnetics, Materials & Assemblies
Software & Design
Test & Measurement
Industry News
Marketplace / Advertising Index
Spontaneous Thoughts: A Different Paradigm

Magnetics Business & Technology - Summer 2014