Sample Holder for Lock-in Thermography Thermal Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for characterizing the thermal properties of magnetic nanoparticles, such as lock-in thermography, face challenges with precision, accuracy, and reproducibility due to batch variations and experimental limitations, particularly in measuring heat production in alternating magnetic fields.
Innovation Solution
A sample holder designed for lock-in thermography systems with optimized dimensions and materials to minimize its influence on measurements, featuring sample wells with specific distances and infrared opacity, along with a lock-in thermography system that includes a coil, thermal imaging, and image processing for accurate SAR and ILP calculation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If standard calorimetric methods (fiberoptic cables or thermocouples) are used to evaluate heating capabilities, then the setup is easy to install, but the measurement precision and reproducibility are limited due to single-point measurement and invasive nature
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical contact-based calorimetric methods (thermocouples, fiberoptic cables) with non-contact infrared thermal imaging. This substitution eliminates the invasive nature of physical sensors while providing full-field temperature measurement, thereby improving measurement precision without sacrificing ease of setup. The infrared camera captures thermal radiation directly from the sample surface, requiring no physical contact or complex sensor installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from one-dimensional point measurement (single thermocouple location) to two-dimensional full-field thermal imaging. By using an infrared camera, the system captures temperature distribution across the entire sample surface simultaneously, providing comprehensive thermal data that greatly enhances measurement precision and reproducibility compared to single-point measurements.
2Measurement precision
If thermal imaging is used to determine heat efficiency of MNPs, then spatial temperature distribution can be measured, but measurement accuracy is compromised without quasi-adiabatic conditions and thermal insulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating thermally isolated sample wells within the holder. Each well is designed with specific dimensions and materials (low thermal conductivity) to minimize heat loss to the surroundings, effectively creating quasi-adiabatic conditions locally at each measurement point. This allows accurate thermal measurement without requiring insulation of the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the thermal parameters of the sample holder by selecting materials with low thermal conductivity and designing well dimensions where the depth and diameter are much larger than the thermal diffusion length. This parameter optimization ensures that heat remains confined to the sample region during the measurement period, maintaining measurement accuracy while enabling spatial temperature distribution mapping.
3Adaptability or versatility
If batch variations in magnetic nanoparticles are present, then commercial availability and variety are improved, but characterization precision and reproducibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by establishing standardized measurement protocols and optimized sample holder designs before conducting MNP characterization. The pre-defined well dimensions, material specifications, and measurement procedures ensure consistent experimental conditions across different batches and commercial sources, thereby improving reproducibility and precision despite variations in MNP properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal measurement platform that can characterize different types of magnetic nanoparticles from various commercial sources using the same standardized protocol. The sample holder design and measurement methodology are generalizable across different MNP compositions, sizes, and coatings, enabling precise comparison and characterization despite batch variations.
4Ease of manufacture
If the sample holder dimensions are reduced to minimize material usage, then manufacturing cost is improved, but thermal diffusion increases and measurement accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the dimensional parameters of the sample holder by establishing that the well depth and diameter should be much larger than the thermal diffusion length. This parameter relationship ensures sufficient thermal isolation while minimizing material usage. The specific dimensional criteria balance manufacturing efficiency with measurement accuracy, creating a scalable design that maintains precision without excessive material consumption.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enhances the precision and accuracy of characterizing thermal properties of magnetic nanoparticles, reducing measurement errors and batch-to-batch variations, and provides a standardized method for examining thermal radiation signals.
Implementation Method 1
The capability of producing heat when exposed to an alternating magnetic field (AMF) is an extraordinary property of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). Due to the thermal energy, which is produced by MNPs when they are exposed to an AMF, they can be used for cancer therapy in a process generally known as magnetic hyperthermia.
Implementation Method 2
Lock-in thermography (LIT) is a known method for examining internal structures of objects by applying periodic energy waves and analyzing the resulting temperature profile of the area to be examined.
Implementation Method 3
The first distance and the second distance and the third distance are equal. In this way the material amount used for building the sample holder can be optimized. If the first and the second and the third distance are substantially greater than a thermal diffusion length of the sample holder material, the sample can be considered placed in a thermally thick sample holder and thermally isolated.
Data Source
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AI summary
A sample holder (1) for magnetic nanoparticle samples comprises a plurality of sample wells (la) for holding a magnetic nanoparticle sample, which are distributed on a top surface (lb) of the sample holder (1). The sample wells (la) are distributed such that a first distance (dl) between neighboring samples wells (la) and/or a second distance (d2) between each peripheral sample well (la) and a respective edge of the top surface (lb) of the sample holder (1) and/or a third distance (d3) between a deepest point of the sample wells (la) and a bottom of the sample holder (1) is between 1 and 100 times greater than a thermal diffusion length of the sample holder material. The sample holder (1) is used in a lock-in thermography system (2).