An automated system for fast transfer and injection of hyperpolarized solutions
Morgan Ceillier, Olivier Cala, Théo El Daraï, Samuel F. Cousin, Quentin Stern, Sylvie Guibert, Stuart J. Elliott, Aurélien Bornet, Basile Vuichoud, Jonas Milani, Christophe Pages, D. G. Eshchenko, James Kempf, Catherine Jose, Simon A. Lambert, Sami Jannin
Abstract
Dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (dDNP) has become a hyperpolarization method of choice for enhancing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals. Nuclear spins are polarized in solid frozen samples (in a so-called polarizer) that are subsequently dissolved and transferred to an NMR spectrometer for high sensitivity detection. One of the critical challenges of dDNP is that it requires both a fast transfer to limit nuclear spin relaxation losses as well as stability to guarantee high resolution (no bubbles nor turbulences). Here we describe the design, construction and performances of such a transfer and injection system, that features a 5 m/s speed and sub-Hz spectral resolution upon arrival at the detection spot. We demonstrate the use of such a system for inter-magnet distances of up to 10 m.