Implementation and characterization of flow injection in dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization NMR spectroscopy

The use of dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (D-DNP) offers substantially increased signals in liquid-state NMR spectroscopy. A challenge in realizing this potential lies in the transfer of the hyperpolarized sample to the NMR detector without loss of hyperpolarization. Here, the use of a flow injection method using high-pressure liquid leads to improved performance compared to the more common gas-driven injection, by suppressing residual fluid motions during the NMR experiment while still achieving a short injection time. Apparent diffusion coefficients are determined from pulsed field gradient echo measurements, and are shown to fall below 1.5 times the value of a static sample within 0.8 s. Due to the single-scan nature of D-DNP, pulsed field gradients are often the only choice for coherence selection or encoding, but their application requires stationary fluid. Sample delivery driven by a high-pressure liquid will improve the applicability of these types of D-DNP advanced experiments.