MSC assignment - Miniaturized NMR system
NMR systems are widely used in chemical analysis, medical diagnostics and flow measurements. With the use of permanent magnets these systems can become portable which opens new applications.
The MSc project builds on the knowledge of a PhD project, recently finished in the MCS group, called "Permanent magnet systems for microfluidic applications" [1]. In this project several small magnet systems for performing NMR, nuclear magnetic resonance, were compared [2,3]. The goal of this MSc assignment is to continue this study on permanent magnet configurations and optimize the magnetic field homogeneity to a higher level, making the system suitable for NMR spectroscopy. To this end, the existing magnet design will be extended with microelectronic "shimming" elements to tune the spatial distribution of the magnetic field within the magnet. Testing will be done via the NMR signal obtained in a small tube that is inserted into the magnet. The assignment may include magnetic field modelling by numerical means, as a means for optimizing the position and shape of the shimming elements as well as the currents through these elements (and therewith the small magnetic fields that these elements add on top of the main field of the permanent magnets.
We are looking for a student with a background in (applied) physics, electrical engineering, or a closely related discipline. It would be helpful if you already have knowledge of magnetic fields and/or magnetic materials, also hands-on experience with computational modeling would be preferred.
CONTACT
For further information you can contact Han Gardeniers (j.g.e.gardeniers@utwente.nl).
literature REFERENCEs
[1] Permanent magnet systems for microfluidic applications, PhD Thesis Yannick Klein, December 2021, https://doi.org/10.3990/1.9789036551021
[2] Influence of the distribution of the properties of permanent magnets on the field homogeneity of magnet assemblies for mobile NMR, Yannick Klein, Leon Abelmann, Han Gardeniers, IEEE Tr. Magnetics 57 (2021) 6000407; DOI: 10.1109/TMAG.2021.3077301
[3] Ferrofluids to improve field homogeneity in permanent magnet assemblies, Yannick Klein, Leon Abelmann, Han Gardeniers, J. Magnetism Magn. Mater. 555 (2022) 169371; DOI: 10.1016/j.jmmm.2022.169371