Magnetic Materials for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Koehler, Max, Sangle, Akshata, Goetz, Stefan M.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Koehler, Max
Sangle, Akshata
Goetz, Stefan M.
author_facet Koehler, Max
Sangle, Akshata
Goetz, Stefan M.
contents Various coils for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are widely available for clinical and research use. These coils are almost all designed as air coils, which require large levels of energy to achieve a given magnetic flux density and in turn electric field strength, whereas in other sectors, such as power electronics or electrical machines, magnetic materials have been used for a long time to achieve higher efficiencies. We tested the impact on the electric and magnetic properties of different soft magnetic materials, including various ferrite cores, laminated sheet materials of nonisotropic corn-oriented silicon-steel, non-oriented silicon-steel, as well as cobalt-iron, and soft magnetic compound powder cores with insulated particles. Every material led to a reduction in coil current and voltage for the same target electric field strength. For the same field energy, every material yielded lower losses. Most common materials saturated already at very low currents. More material in thicker layers could shift the saturation point but at the cost of high weight. Due to their low saturation flux density, ferrites appear unsuitable for the high amplitude requirements of TMS. Laminated sheet materials and powder cores reduce the pulse energy, but the laminated sheet material adds more weight for the same effect than powder cores. Thus, appropriate magnetic materials can reduce the required pulse energy. Saturation flux density is the most relevant parameter, whereas the permeability beyond a certain base level is practically irrelevant. Most importantly, the weight of a magnetic-core coil may always be increased compared to an air coil for the same target field.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_00744
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Magnetic Materials for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
Koehler, Max
Sangle, Akshata
Goetz, Stefan M.
Medical Physics
Materials Science
Systems and Control
High Energy Physics - Experiment
Applied Physics
Various coils for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are widely available for clinical and research use. These coils are almost all designed as air coils, which require large levels of energy to achieve a given magnetic flux density and in turn electric field strength, whereas in other sectors, such as power electronics or electrical machines, magnetic materials have been used for a long time to achieve higher efficiencies. We tested the impact on the electric and magnetic properties of different soft magnetic materials, including various ferrite cores, laminated sheet materials of nonisotropic corn-oriented silicon-steel, non-oriented silicon-steel, as well as cobalt-iron, and soft magnetic compound powder cores with insulated particles. Every material led to a reduction in coil current and voltage for the same target electric field strength. For the same field energy, every material yielded lower losses. Most common materials saturated already at very low currents. More material in thicker layers could shift the saturation point but at the cost of high weight. Due to their low saturation flux density, ferrites appear unsuitable for the high amplitude requirements of TMS. Laminated sheet materials and powder cores reduce the pulse energy, but the laminated sheet material adds more weight for the same effect than powder cores. Thus, appropriate magnetic materials can reduce the required pulse energy. Saturation flux density is the most relevant parameter, whereas the permeability beyond a certain base level is practically irrelevant. Most importantly, the weight of a magnetic-core coil may always be increased compared to an air coil for the same target field.
title Magnetic Materials for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
topic Medical Physics
Materials Science
Systems and Control
High Energy Physics - Experiment
Applied Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.00744