3D printable solid tissue-mimicking material for microwave phantoms

Abstract

Phantoms provide valuable platforms for testing of medical devices including microwave diagnostic systems. This work describes a 3D printable solid tissue-mimicking material (TMM) for the production of such phantoms. The TMM is fabricated from ABS, SEBS and Carbon Black. The polymers ABS and SEBS produce a material that is 3D printable, robust and mechanically stable. Adjustment of the percentage of Carbon Black in a mixture alters the dielectric properties of the mixture. A variety of such mixtures were fabricated into 3D printable spools and the dielectric properties were measured across the 0.5 8.5 GHz band. The dielectric properties of a wide biological range are covered with the ability to emulate tissues within the range. The material hence can be used to print anatomically realistic and dielectrically accurate phantoms that can be multi- layered and as complex as desired depending on the study.