Design of a benchtop NMR/MRI system

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) provides us with ways to look at objects in a very intricate and detailed manner. A major advantage of these systems is their non-destructive nature and them not requiring any contact with the samples. Current systems are quite often exorbitant and complex in nature, making them unfeasible for teaching and research purposes. There has been a demand for low-cost systems making its application possibilities endless. With the advances in the consumer electronics industry, products such as the PC MRI solution by Spincore Technologies, discussed as part of this project, provide great alternatives. The ultimate goal of the project was to deliver a design that would bringtogether different elements to create a benchtop NMR system. An NMR probe has been developed to function within an existing Halbach magnet array which is used to transmit an excitation pulse and also receive the NMR signal. The remaining elements make use of commercially available products and where required programmed using MATLAB. Utilising the Spincore MRI system reduced the need for additional equipment and can be expanded to incorporate gradient magnetic field coils.