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The surfaces of nanomaterials with applications in optoelectronics and catalysis control their physicochemical properties. NMR spectroscopy, enhanced by dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), is a powerful approach to probe the local environment of spin-1/2 nuclei near surfaces. However, this technique often lacks robustness and resolution for half-integer quadrupolar nuclei, which represent more than 66% of the NMR-active isotopes. A novel pulse sequence is introduced here to circumvent these issues. This method is applied to observe with high-resolution 27Al and 17O spin-5/2 nuclei on the surface of γ-alumina. Moreover, we report high-resolution 17O spectra of ZnO nanoparticles used in optoelectronics. Their assignment using DFT calculations allows the first NMR observation of vacancies near the surfaces. Finally, we employ the introduced NMR technique to observe 11B spin-3/2 nuclei on the surface of partially oxidized boron nitride supported on silica and to distinguish its different BO2OH active sites.
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The Zr-based Metal Organic Framework (MOF) UiO-66(Zr) is widely employed owing to its good thermal and chemical stabilities. Although the long-range structure of this MOF is preserved in the presence of water during several days, little is known about the formation of defects, which cannot be detected using diffraction techniques. We apply here 17 O solid-state NMR spectroscopy at 18.8â T to investigate the reactivity of UiO-66, through the exchange of oxygen atoms between the different sites of the MOF and water. For that purpose, we have selectively enriched in 17 O isotope the carboxylate groups of UiO-66(Zr) by using it with 17 O-labeled terephthalic acid prepared using mechanochemistry. In the presence of water at 50 °C and a following dehydration at 150 °C, we observe an overall exchange of O atoms between COO- and µ3 -O2- sites. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the three distinct oxygen sites, µ3 -OH, µ3 -O2- and COO- , of UiO-66(Zr) MOF can be enriched in 17 O isotope by post-synthetic hydrothermal treatment in the presence of 17 O-enriched water. These results demonstrate the lability of Zr-O bonds and the reactivity of UiO-66(Zr) with water.
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Amorphous lithium phosphorus oxynitrides (LiPON), prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering, have become the electrolytes of choice for all-solid-state thin film microbatteries since its discovery in early 1990s. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of understanding of their atomic-level structure and its influence on ionic conductivity. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy represents a promising technique to determine the atomic-level structure of LiPON glasses but is challenging owing to its low sensitivity in the case of thin film materials. Recently, 31P solid-state NMR spectra of LiPON thin films were acquired under magic-angle spinning (MAS) conditions and assigned with the help of density functional theory (DFT) calculations of NMR parameters. However, the identification of the different P local environments in these materials is still a challenge owing to their amorphous structure and the lack of resolution of the 31P MAS NMR spectra. We show herein how the NMR observation of internuclear proximities helps to establish the nature of P sites in LiPON thin films. The 31P-14N proximities are probed by a transfer of population in double resonance (TRAPDOR) experiment, whereas 31P-31P proximities are observed using one-dimensional (1D) 31P double-quantum (DQ)-filtered and two-dimensional (2D) 31P homonuclear correlation spectra as well as dipolar dephasing experiments using DQ-DRENAR (DQ-based dipolar-recoupling effects nuclear alignment reduction) technique. The obtained NMR data further support the recently proposed assignment of 31P NMR signals of LiPON thin films. With the help of this assignment, the simulation of the quantitative 1D 31P NMR spectrum indicates that PO43- orthophosphate anions prevail in LiPON thin films and N atoms are mainly incorporated in [O3PNPO3]5- dimeric anions. PO3N4- isolated tetrahedra and [O3POPO3]4- anions are also present but in smaller amounts.
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Herein, we report the catalytic activity of a series of platinum(II) pre-catalysts, bearing N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands, in the alkene hydrosilylation reaction. Their structural and electronic properties are fully investigated using X-ray diffraction analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Next, our study presents a structure-activity relationship within this group of pre-catalysts and gives mechanistic insights into the catalyst activation step. An exceptional catalytic performance of one of the complexes is observed, reaching a turnover number (TON) of 970 000 and a turnover frequency (TOF) of 40 417â h-1 at 1â ppm catalyst loading. Finally, an attractive solvent-free and open-to-air alkene hydrosilylation protocol, featuring efficient platinum removal (reduction of residual Pt from 582â ppm to 5.8â ppm), is disclosed.
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Tailoring boron-polysaccharide interactions is an important strategy for developing functional soft materials such as hydrogels, fire retardants, and sorbents for environmental remediation, for example, using lignocellulosic biomass. For such applications to be realized, it is paramount to understand the adsorption kinetics of borate anions on cellulose and their local structures. Here, the kinetic aspects of boron adsorption by microcrystalline cellulose, lignin, and polymeric resin are investigated and compared. Borate anions interact with the vicinal diols in the glucopyranoside moieties of cellulose to yield chemisorbed boron chelate complexes. In contrast to cellulose, technical lignin contains fewer cis-vicinal diols, and it does not have a tendency to form such chelate complexes upon treatment with the aqueous boric acid solution. The formation kinetics and stability of these chelate complexes strongly depend on nanoscale structures, as well as reaction conditions such as pH and concentration of the sorbate and sorbent. Specifically, insights into the distinct boron adsorption sites were obtained by solid-state one-dimensional (1D) 11B magic-angle spinning NMR and the local structures and intermolecular interactions in the vicinities of boron chelate complexes are elucidated by analyzing two-dimensional (2D) 1H-13C and 11B-1H heteronuclear correlation NMR spectra. The total boron adsorption capacity of cellulose is estimated to be in the 1.3-3.0 mg range per gram of sorbent, which is lower than the boron adsorption capacity of a polystyrene-based resin, â¼17.2 mg of boron per gram of Amberlite IRA 743. Our study demonstrates that the local backbone and side chain flexibility as well as the structures of polyol groups play a significant role in determining the kinetic and thermodynamic stability of chelate complexes, yielding to different boron adsorption capabilities of lignocellulosic polymers.
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Various two-dimensional (2D) homonuclear correlation experiments have been proposed to observe proximities between identical half-integer spin quadrupolar nuclei in solids. These experiments select either the single- or double-quantum coherences during the indirect evolution period, t1. We compare here the efficiency and the robustness of the 2D double-quantum to single-quantum (DQ-SQ) and SQ-SQ homonuclear correlations for two half-integer spin quadrupolar isotopes subject to small chemical shift anisotropy (CSA): 11B with a nuclear spin Iâ¯=â¯3/2 and 27Al with Iâ¯=â¯5/2. Such a comparison is performed using experiments on two model samples: Li2B4O7 for 11B and AlPO4-14 for 27Al. For both isotopes, the DQ-SQ homonuclear correlations are recommended since they allow probing the proximities between nuclei with close or identical frequencies. In the case of small or moderate isotropic chemical shift differences (e.g. 11B) the [SR221] or [BR221] bracketed DQ-SQ recoupling schemes are recommended; whereas it is the BR221 un-bracketed one otherwise (e.g. 27Al).
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NaGaS2 is a newly discovered compound that has already shown great promise for a variety of applications because of its layered structure and ion exchange properties. In this work, crystalline NaGaS2 has been synthesized by an alternative method to what has been previously published, namely, by mechanochemistry, either by a direct one-step process or by a two-step process. In the one-step process, crystalline NaGaS2 is directly formed by milling sodium sulfide Na2S and gallium(III) sulfide Ga2S3. However, an amorphous material is present in majority together with the crystalline phase. In the two-step process, amorphous NaGaS2 is first obtained by mechanical milling and then heated above its glass transition temperature to obtain a glass-ceramic mainly composed of crystalline NaGaS2. For the two-step process, changes of the local atomic-level structure in amorphous NaGaS2 and after crystallization were analyzed by high-field solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy as well as by X-ray total scattering and pair distribution function (PDF) analysis. Based on quantitative analysis on the 23Na NMR spectra, modifying the annealing treatment can promote the formation of the crystalline phase up to a molar fraction of 83.8%.
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The indirect NMR detection of quadrupolar nuclei in solids under magic-angle spinning (MAS) is possible with the through-space HMQC (heteronuclear multiple-quantum coherence) scheme incorporating the TRAPDOR (transfer of population in double-resonance) dipolar recoupling. This sequence, called T-HMQC, exhibits limited t1-noise. In this contribution, with the help of numerical simulations of spin dynamics, we show that most of the time, the fastest coherence transfer in the T-HMQC scheme is achieved when TRAPDOR recoupling employs the highest radiofrequency (rf) field compatible with the probe specifications. We also demonstrate how the indirect detection of the triple-quantum (3Q) coherences of spin-3/2 quadrupolar nuclei in solids improves the spectral resolution for these isotopes. The sequence is then called T-HMQC3. We demonstrate the gain in resolution provided by this sequence for the indirect proton detection of 35Cl nuclei in l-histidineâHCl and l-cysteineâHCl, as well as that of 23Na isotope in NaH2PO4. These experiments indicate that the gain in resolution depends on the relative values of the chemical and quadrupolar-induced shifts (QIS) for the different spin-3/2 species. In the case of NaH2PO4, we show that the transfer efficiency of the T-HMQC3 sequence employing an rf-field of 80 kHz with a MAS frequency of 62.5 kHz reaches 75% of that of the t1-noise eliminated (TONE) dipolar-mediated HMQC (D-HMQC) scheme.
Asunto(s)
Isótopos , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Espectroscopía de Resonancia Magnética , ProtonesRESUMEN
Recently, the T-hetero-nuclear multiple quantum coherence (T-HMQC) sequence using the TRAPDOR (transfer of population in double resonance) recoupling has been introduced for the indirect detection via protons of quadrupolar nuclei with spin I = 1 (14N) or 3/2 (35Cl) in solids at fast magic-angle spinning (MAS). The sequence is simple as it only uses four rectangular pulses and exhibits low t1-noise because the recoupling pulses are applied to the indirectly detected isotope, I. We demonstrate that this sequence is applicable for the detection via protons of spin-1/2 nuclei subject to large chemical shift anisotropy, such as 195Pt. We also report the proton detection of double-quantum (2Q) coherences of 14N nuclei using this sequence. This 2Q version is more robust to the adjustment of the magic angle and the instabilities of the MAS frequencies than its parent single-quantum (1Q) version since the 2Q coherences are not broadened by the first-order quadrupole interaction. In practice, than its 1Q counterpart for the indirect detection of 14N nuclei, the 2Q variant benefits from a slightly higher resolution and comparable sensitivity. In this article, we derive for the first time the Hamiltonian that describes the spin dynamics during the TRAPDOR recoupling. This Hamiltonian demonstrates the importance of the adiabaticity parameter as well as the role of third-order terms in the effective Hamiltonian. The effects of offsets, radio-frequency field, and recoupling time on the efficiency of the T-HMQC sequence are analyzed numerically as well as with experimental detection via protons of 195Pt nuclei in a mixture of cis- and trans-platin and that of 14N and 35Cl isotopes in l-histidine HCl.
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Amorphous silica-aluminas (ASAs) are important acidic catalysts and supports for many industrially essential and sustainable processes. The identification of surface acid sites with their local structures on ASAs is of critical importance for tuning their catalytic properties but still remains a great challenge and is under debate. Here, ultrahigh magnetic field (35.2 T) 27Al-{1H} D-HMQC (dipolar-mediated heteronuclear multiple-quantum correlation) two-dimensional NMR experiments demonstrate two types of Brønsted acid sites in ASA catalysts. In addition to the known pseudobridging silanol acid sites, the use of ultrahigh field NMR provides the first direct experimental evidence for the existence of bridging silanol (BS: SiOHAl) acid sites in ASAs, which has been hotly debated in the past few decades. This discovery provides new opportunities for scientists and engineers to develop and apply ASAs in various reaction processes due to the significance of BS in chemical and fuel productions based on its strong Brønsted acidity.
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Amorphous silica-aluminas (ASAs) are important solid catalysts and supports for many industrially essential and sustainable processes, such as hydrocarbon transformation and biorefining. However, the wide distribution of acid strength on ASAs often results in undesired side reactions, lowering the product selectivity. Here we developed a strategy for the synthesis of a unique class of ASAs with unvarying strength of Brønsted acid sites (BAS) and Lewis acid sites (LAS) using double-flame-spray pyrolysis. Structural characterization using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy showed that the uniform acidity is due to a distinct nanostructure, characterized by a uniform interface of silica-alumina and homogeneously dispersed alumina domains. The BAS population density of as-prepared ASAs is up to 6 times higher than that obtained by classical methods. The BAS/LAS ratio, as well as the population densities of BAS and LAS of these ASAs, could be tuned in a broad range. In cyclohexanol dehydration, the uniform Brønsted acid strength provides a high selectivity to cyclohexene and a nearly linear correlation between acid site densities and cyclohexanol conversion. Moreover, the concerted action of these BAS and LAS leads to an excellent bifunctional Brønsted-Lewis acid catalyst for glucose dehydration, affording a superior 5-hydroxymethylfurfural yield.
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The measurement of dipolar and J- couplings between 29Si and 17O isotopes is challenging owing to (i) the low abundance of both isotopes and (ii) their close Larmor frequencies, which only differ by 19%. These issues are circumvented here by the use of isotopic enrichment and dedicated triple-resonance magic-angle spinning NMR probe. The surface of 29Si-enriched silica was labelled with 17O isotope and heated at 80 and 200 °C. 29Si-17O connectivities and proximities were probed using two-dimensional (2D) through-bond and through-space heteronuclear multiple-quantum coherences (J- and D-HMQC) experiments between 17O and 29Si nuclei. The simulation of the build-up of the J- and D-HMQC signals allowed the first experimental measurement of J- and dipolar coupling constants between 17O and 29Si nuclei. These HMQC experiments allow distinguishing two distinct siloxane (SiOSi) oxygen sites: (i) those covalently bonded to Q3 and Q4 groups, having a hydroxyl group as a second neighbour and (ii) those covalently bonded to two Q4 groups. The measured J- and dipolar coupling constants of siloxane 17O nucleus with Q4 29Si nuclei differ from those with Q3 29Si nuclei. These results indicate that the 29Si-17O one-bond J-coupling and Si-O bond length depend on the second neighbours of the Si atoms.
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Estuaries are key ecosystems with unique biodiversity and are of high economic importance. Along the estuaries, variations in environmental parameters, such as salinity and light penetration, can modify the characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM). Nevertheless, there is still limited information about the atomic-level transformations of DOM in this ecosystem. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy provides unique insights into the nature of functional groups in DOM. A major limitation of this technique is its lack of sensivity, which results in experimental time of tens of hours for the acquisition of 13 C NMR spectra and generally precludes the observation of 15 N nuclei for DOM. We show here how the sensitivity of solid-state NMR experiments on DOM of Seine estuary can be enhanced using dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) under magic-angle spinning. This technique allows the acquisition of 13 C NMR spectra of these samples in few minutes, instead of hours for conventional solid-state NMR. Both conventional and DNP-enhanced 13 C NMR spectra indicate that the 13 C local environments in DOM are not strongly modified along the Seine estuary. Furthermore, the sensitivity gain provided by the DNP allows the detection of 15 N NMR signal of DOM, in spite of the low nitrogen content. These spectra reveal that the majority of nitrogen is in the amide form in these DOM samples and show an increased disorder around these amide groups near the mouth of the Seine.
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Through-space heteronuclear correlation (D-HETCOR) experiments based on heteronuclear multiple-quantum correlation (D-HMQC) and refocused insensitive nuclei enhanced by polarization transfer (D-RINEPT) sequences have been proven to be useful approaches for the detection of the spatial proximity between half-integer quadrupolar nuclei in solids under magic-angle spinning (MAS) conditions. The corresponding pulse sequences employ coherence transfers mediated by heteronuclear dipolar interactions, which are reintroduced under MAS by radiofrequency irradiation of only one of the two correlated nuclei. We investigate herein using numerical simulations of spin dynamics and solid-state NMR experiments on magnesium aluminoborate glass how the choice of the channel to which the heteronuclear dipolar recoupling is applied affects the transfer efficiency of D-HMQC and D-RINEPT sequences between 11 B and 27 Al nuclei. Experimental results show that maximum transfer efficiency is achieved when the recoupling scheme is applied to the channel, for which the spin magnetization is parallel to the B0 axis in average.
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Detecting proximities between nuclei is crucial for atomic-scale structure determination with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Different from spin-1/2 nuclei, the methodology for quadrupolar nuclei is limited for solids due to the complex spin dynamics under simultaneous magic-angle spinning (MAS) and radio-frequency irradiation. Herein, the performances of several homonuclear rotary recoupling (HORROR)-based homonuclear dipolar recoupling sequences are evaluated for 27 Al (spin-5/2). It is shown numerically and experimentally on mesoporous alumina that BR 2 2 1 outperforms the supercycled S3 sequence and its pure double-quantum (DQ) (bracketed) version, [S3 ], both in terms of DQ transfer efficiency and bandwidth. This result is surprising since the S3 sequence is among the best low-power recoupling schemes for spin-1/2. The superiority of BR 2 2 1 is thoroughly explained, and the crucial role of radio-frequency offsets during its spin dynamics is highlighted. The analytical approximation of BR 2 2 1 , derived in an offset-toggling frame, clarifies the interplay between offset and DQ efficiency, namely, the benefits of off-resonance irradiation and the trough in DQ efficiency for BR 2 2 1 when the irradiation is central between two resonances, both for spin-1/2 and half-integer-spin quadrupolar nuclei. Additionally, density matrix propagations show that the BR 2 2 1 sequence, applied to quadrupolar nuclei subject to quadrupolar interaction much larger than radio-frequency frequency field, can create single- and multiple-quantum coherences for near on-resonance irradiation. This significantly perturbs the creation of DQ coherences between central transitions of neighboring quadrupolar nuclei. This effect explains the DQ efficiency trough for near on-resonance irradiation, in the case of both cross-correlation and autocorrelation peaks. Overall, this work aids experimental acquisition of homonuclear dipolar correlation spectra of half-integer-spin quadrupolar nuclei and provides theoretical insights towards improving recoupling schemes at high magnetic field and fast MAS.
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Two families of glasses in the Li2O-Al2O3-B2O3-TiO2-P2O5 system were prepared via two different synthesis routes: melt-quenching and ball-milling. Subsequently, they were submitted to crystallization and yielded the Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 (LATP)-based glass-ceramics. Glasses and corresponding glass-ceramics were studied by complementary X-ray diffraction (XRD) and 27Al, 31P, 7Li, 11B magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR) methods in order to compare their structure and phase composition and elucidate the impact of boron additive on their glass-forming properties and crystallization process. XRD studies show that the addition of B2O3 improves the glass-forming properties of glasses prepared by either method and inhibits the precipitation of unwanted phases during heat treatment. MAS NMR studies allowed us to distinguish two LATP phases of slightly different chemical composition suggesting that LATP grains might not be homogeneous. In conclusion, the crystallization of boron-incorporated LATP glasses can is an effective way of obtaining LATP-based solid state electrolytes for the next generation of lithium-ion batteries provided the proper heat-treatment conditions are chosen.
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Half-integer spin quadrupolar nuclei are the only magnetic isotopes for the majority of the chemical elements. Therefore, the transfer of polarization from protons to these isotopes under magic-angle spinning (MAS) can provide precious insights into the interatomic proximities in hydrogen-containing solids, including organic, hybrid, nanostructured and biological solids. This transfer has recently been combined with dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) in order to enhance the NMR signal of half-integer quadrupolar isotopes. However, the cross-polarization transfer lacks robustness in the case of quadrupolar nuclei, and we have recently introduced as an alternative technique a D-RINEPT (through-space refocused insensitive nuclei enhancement by polarization transfer) scheme combining a heteronuclear dipolar recoupling built from adiabatic pulses and a continuous-wave decoupling. This technique has been demonstrated at 9.4â¯T with moderate MAS frequencies, νR≈10-15â¯kHz, in order to transfer the DNP-enhanced 1H polarization to quadrupolar nuclei. Nevertheless, polarization transfers from protons to quadrupolar nuclei are also required at higher MAS frequencies in order to improve the 1H resolution. We investigate here how this transfer can be achieved at νR≈20 and 60â¯kHz. We demonstrate that the D-RINEPT sequence using adiabatic pulses still produces efficient and robust transfers but requires large radio-frequency (rf) fields, which may not be compatible with the specifications of most MAS probes. As an alternative, we introduce robust and efficient variants of the D-RINEPT and PRESTO (phase-shifted recoupling effects a smooth transfer of order) sequences using symmetry-based recoupling schemes built from single and composite π pulses. Their performances are compared using the average Hamiltonian theory and experiments at B0=18.8â¯T on γ-alumina and isopropylamine-templated microporous aluminophosphate (AlPO4-14), featuring low and significant 1H-1H dipolar interactions, respectively. These experiments demonstrate that the 1H magnetization can be efficiently transferred to 27Al nuclei using D-RINEPT with SR412(270090180) recoupling and using PRESTO with R2227(1800) or R1676(270090180) schemes at νR=20 or 62.5â¯kHz, respectively. The D-RINEPT and PRESTO recoupling schemes complement each other since the latter is affected by dipolar truncation, whereas the former is not. We also analyze the losses during these recoupling schemes, and we show how these magnetization transfers can be used at νR=62.5â¯kHz to acquire in 72â¯min 2D HETCOR (heteronuclear correlation) spectra between 1H and quadrupolar nuclei, with a non-uniform sampling (NUS).
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We show that a multiselective excitation with Hadamard encoding is a powerful tool for 2-D acquisition of 13 Câ13 C homonuclear correlations. This method is not designed to improve the sensitivity, but rather to reduce the experiment time, provided there is sufficient sensitivity. Therefore, it allows fast acquisition of such 2-D spectra in labeled molecules. The technique has been demonstrated using a Uâ13 Câ15 N histidine hydrochloride monohydrate sample allowing each point of the build-up curves of the 13 Câ13 C cross-peaks to be recorded within 4 min 35 s, which is very difficult with conventional methods. Using the Uâ13 Câ15 N f-MLF sample, we have demonstrated that the method can be applied to molecules with 14 13 C resonances with a minimum frequency separation of 240 Hz.
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We show herein how the proton magnetization enhanced by dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) can be efficiently transferred at moderate magic-angle spinning (MAS) frequencies to half-integer quadrupolar nuclei, S ≥ 3/2, using the Dipolar-mediated Refocused Insensitive Nuclei Enhanced by Polarization Transfer (D-RINEPT) technique, in which a symmetry-based SR 4 1 2 recoupling scheme built from adiabatic inversion 1 H pulses reintroduces the 1 H-S dipolar couplings, while suppressing the 1 H-1 H ones. The use of adiabatic pulses also improves the robustness to offsets and radiofrequency (rf)-field inhomogeneity. Furthermore, the efficiency of the polarization transfer is further improved by using 1 H composite pulses and continuous-wave irradiations between the recoupling blocks, as well as by manipulating the S satellite transitions during the first recoupling block. Furthermore, in the case of large 1 H-S dipolar couplings, the D-RINEPT variant with two pulses on the quadrupolar channel results in an improved transfer efficiency. We compare here the performances of this new adiabatic scheme with those of its parent version with single π pulses, as well as with those of PRESTO and CPMAS transfers. This comparison is performed using simulations as well as DNP-enhanced 27 Al, 95 Mo, and 17 O NMR experiments on isotopically unmodified γ-alumina, hydrated titania-supported MoO3 , Mg(OH)2 , and l-histidine·HCl·H2 O. The introduced RINEPT method outperforms the existing methods, both in terms of efficiency and robustness to rf-field inhomogeneity and offset.