Phase incremented echo train acquisition applied to magnetic resonance pore imaging.

Efficient phase cycling schemes remain a challenge for NMR techniques if the pulse sequences involve a large number of rf-pulses. Especially complex is the Carr Purcell Meiboom Gill (CPMG) pulse sequence where the number of rf-pulses can range from hundreds to several thousands. Our recent implementation of Magnetic Resonance Pore Imaging (MRPI) is based on a CPMG rf-pulse sequence in order to refocus the effect of internal gradients inherent in porous media. While the spin dynamics for spin-1/2 systems in CPMG like experiments are well understood it is still not straight forward to separate the desired pathway from the spectrum of unwanted coherence pathways. In this contribution we apply Phase Incremented Echo Train Acquisition (PIETA) to MRPI. We show how PIETA offers a convenient way to implement a working phase cycling scheme and how it allows one to gain deeper insights into the amplitudes of undesired pathways.

Pulsed second order field NMR for real time PGSE and single-shot surface to volume ratio measurements.

Pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance provides a powerful tool for the measurement of particle diffusion and mobility. When these particles are contained in a porous medium, the diffusive process is influenced by the pore boundaries, and their effect on diffusion measurements provides information about the pore space. The acquisition of the apparent diffusion coefficient and its dependence on time, in the short time limit, reveals the surface to volume ratio of the porous medium, and in the long time limit, its tortuosity. With conventional pulsed field gradient techniques, processes where pore boundaries are evolving on the sub-second time scale cannot be resolved. Using pulsed second order magnetic fields in conjunction with one-dimensional imaging and the pulse sequence Difftrain, this paper presents a proof of concept for the first ever real time single-shot surface to volume NMR measurement.

Parallel acquisition of q-space using second order magnetic fields for single-shot diffusion measurements.

A proof of concept is presented for the parallel acquisition of q-space under diffusion using a second order magnetic field. The second order field produces a gradient strength which varies in space, allowing a range of gradients to be applied in a single pulse, and q-space encoded into real space. With the use of a read gradient, the spatial information is regained from the NMR signal, and real space mapped onto q-space for a thin slice excitation volume. As the diffusion encoded image for a thin slice can be mapped onto q-space, and the average propagator is the inverse Fourier transform of the q-space data, it follows that the acquisition of the echo is a direct measurement of the average propagator. In the absence of a thin slice selection, the real space to q-space mapping is lost, but the ability to measure the diffusion coefficient retained with an increase in signal to noise.

Charge transport and mass transport in imidazolium-based ionic liquids.

The mechanism of charge transport in the imidazolium-based ionic liquid 1,3-dimethylimidazolium dimethylphosphate is analyzed by combining broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) and pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance (PFG NMR). The dielectric spectra are dominated-on the low-frequency side-by electrode polarization effects while, for higher frequencies, charge transport in a disordered matrix is the underlying physical mechanism. Using the Einstein and Einstein-Smoluchowski equations enables one to determine-in excellent agreement with direct measurements by PFG NMR-the diffusion coefficient of the charge carriers. By that, it becomes possible to extract from the dielectric spectra separately the number density and the mobilities of the charge carriers and the type of their thermal activation. It is shown that the observed Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann (VFT) dependence of the dc conductivity can be traced back to a similar temperature dependence of the mobility while for the number density an Arrhenius-type thermal activation is found. Extrapolating the latter to room temperature indicates that nearly all charge carriers are participating in the conduction process.

Electrical conductivity and translational diffusion in the 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquid.

Broadband dielectric and terahertz spectroscopy (10(-2)-10(+12) Hz) are combined with pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance (PFG-NMR) to explore charge transport and translational diffusion in the 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquid. The dielectric spectra are interpreted as superposition of high-frequency relaxation processes associated with dipolar librations and a conductivity contribution. The latter originates from hopping of charge carriers on a random spatially varying potential landscape and quantitatively fits the observed frequency and temperature dependence of the spectra. A further analysis delivers the hopping rate and enables one to deduce--using the Einstein-Smoluchowski equation--the translational diffusion coefficient of the charge carriers in quantitative agreement with PFG-NMR measurements. By that, the mobility is determined and separated from the charge carrier density; for the former, a Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann and for the latter, an Arrhenius temperature dependence is obtained. There is no indication of a mode arising from the reorientation of stable ion pairs.

Diffusion correlation NMR spectroscopic study of anisotropic diffusion of water in plant tissues.

The anisotropic diffusion of water in chive (Allium schoenoprasum) tissues has been investigated using two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance methods: diffusion-diffusion correlation spectroscopy and diffusion-relaxation correlation spectroscopy. Corresponding one-dimensional T2 and diffusion measurements confirm independently the results of the two-dimensional investigations. In particular the diffusion-diffusion correlation spectroscopy method proves to be very powerful in resolving the different components of the diffusion tensor at different sites in the sample.

Diffusion exchange NMR spectroscopic study of dextran exchange through polyelectrolyte multilayer capsules.

Diffusion exchange of dextran with molecular weights 4.4 and 77 kDa through polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) hollow capsules consisting of four bilayers of polystyrene sulfonate/polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride has been investigated using two-dimensional nuclear-magnetic-resonance methods: diffusion-diffusion exchange spectroscopy (DEXSY) and diffusion-relaxation correlation spectroscopy (DRCOSY). Results obtained in DRCOSY experiments show that the diffusion process of dextran 77 kDa exhibits an observation time dependence suggesting a diffusion behavior restricted by confinement. We find evidence for both single capsule and capsule aggregate states, with a partitioning of the 77-kDa dextran between the free and capsule states much larger than that suggested by volume fraction alone. Results from DEXSY experiments show that dextran 77 kDa is in diffusive exchange through the capsules with an exchange time of around 1 s. In contrast, the capsules have no detectable influence on the diffusion process of the dextran 4.4 kDa. This quantitative information may be used in designing PEM capsules as drug carriers.

NMR studies of water diffusion and relaxation in hydrating slag-based construction materials.

The NMR relaxation properties of hydrating blast-furnace slag cements have recently been shown to be dominated by the effect of water self-diffusion in internal magnetic field gradients in the pastes. While this was suggested on the basis of NMR relaxometry and magnetic susceptibility data, we report here the results from first direct studies of the water self-diffusion in the hydrating paste using a specialized PFG sequence and very intensive magnetic field gradient pulses.

Determination of genuine diffusivities in heterogeneous media using stimulated echo pulsed field gradient NMR.

Pulsed field gradient (PFG) NMR diffusion measurements in heterogeneous media may lead to erroneous results due to the disturbing influence of internal magnetic field gradients. Here, we present a simple theoretical model which allows one to interpret data obtained by stimulated spin echo PFG NMR in the presence of spatially varying internal field gradients. Using the results of this theory, the genuine self-diffusion coefficients in heterogeneous media may be extrapolated from the dependence of the apparent diffusivities on the dephasing time of the simulated echo PFG NMR sequence. Experimental evidence that such extrapolation yields satisfactory results for self-diffusion of hexadecane in natural sediments (sand) and of n-octanol in doped MgO pastes is provided.

Anisotropic diffusion in a nematic liquid crystal- An electric field PFG NMR approach

The access to self-diffusion coefficients in anisotropic systems such as thermotropic liquid crystals by means of PFG NMR is complicated by strong dipolar interactions. Additionally, problems arise due to the immediate orientation of low-molar-mass nematic liquid crystals in an external field. The director orientation can be changed by the application of an additional electric field. This can be exploited in order to reduce the dipolar interaction to such an extent that the NMR linewidths change from a solid-state to a liquid-like situation enabling PFG NMR experiments. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.