Videos
Parahydrogen-enhanced benchtop NMR spectroscopy
During the 87th session of the Global NMR Discussion Meetings held on June 4th, 2024 via Zoom, Dr. Meghan Halse from the University of York, UK gave a talk on the topic "Parahydrogen-enhanced benchtop NMR spectroscopy". The recording serves as a tutorial.
Abstract: Benchtop NMR spectrometers, due to their portability and affordability, have the potential to transform the accessibility of NMR spectroscopy. Hyperpolarisation can break the link between NMR sensitivity and magnetic field strength, overcoming a key limitation of low-field benchtop NMR spectrometers. This presentation will explain the fundamentals of parahydrogen hyperpolarisation and explore recent developments in its use with benchtop NMR detection, including progress towards analytical applications.
Dr. Meghan Halse's research: https://www.york.ac.uk/chemistry/people/mhalse/
Long-loved nuclear singlet spin order and its applications
During the 84th session of the Global NMR Discussion Meetings held on April 30th, 2024 via Zoom, Prof. Giuseppe Pileio from the University of Southampton, UK gave a talk on the topic "Long-loved nuclear singlet spin order and its applications". The recording serves as a tutorial.
Abstract: Nuclear singlet spin order is the population difference between the singlet and triplet states in a system of two coupled spin-1/2 nuclei. This form of order is long-lived, silent and accessible on demand. For almost two decades, my research activities were focused at exploiting these three main properties of nuclear spin order to develop new applications in NMR and MRI. In this talk, I will introduce the concept and the main features of singlet order as well as the tools developed for its manipulations. I will then show how we are using this form of order to enhance several NMR and MRI techniques for the long-term storage of hyperpolarisation, to obtain a new form of contrast in MRI, for the measurements of slow diffusion and flow, or for the determination of structural features of porous media such as tortuosity and structural anisotropy through singlet-assisted diffusion NMR.
Prof. Pileio's research: https://generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk/gpgroup/
Hyperpolarized Xe NMR in Molecular Cavities Study and MR Imaging
During the 83rd session of the Global NMR Discussion Meetings held on March 26th, 2024 via Zoom, Prof. Leif Schröder from the German Cancer Research Center gave a talk on the topic "Hyperpolarized Xenon NMR for Exploring Molecular Host Cavities and Advancing MR Imaging". The recording serves as a tutorial.
Abstract: The large chemical shift range of Xe-129 NMR makes this nucleus a valuable probe in spectroscopy and biomedical imaging. Hyperpolarized Xe can be used also as dissolved noble gas to provide 10’000-fold improved sensitivity over extended periods of time. In combination with saturation transfer techniques, reversibly bound hyperpolarized xenon gives insights into exchange kinetics of various host-guest complexes. This talk will give an overview of studies investigating the affinity of dissolved Xe for various hosts like biogenic hollow protein structures with attoliter volumes or synthetic hosts for trapping individual Xe atoms. Both strategies find applications in the spectroscopic investigation of exchange kinetics of host-guest systems and in the design of ultra-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging agents.
Prof. Schroeder's research: https://www.dkfz.de/en/translationale-molekulare-bildgebung/index.php
Scaling Analyses of Hyperpolarization Transfer in Solids
During the 74th session of the Global NMR Discussion Meetings held on November 7th, 2023 via Zoom, Prof. Bradley F. Chmelka from the University of California in the U.S., gave a talk on the topic "Scaling Analyses of Hyperpolarization Transfer in Solids and across Interfaces". The recording serves as a tutorial.
Abstract: Classical scaling analyses, with analogies to heat conduction and mass transfer, quantitatively describe the propagation and dissipation of non-Boltzmann spin polarization in heterogeneous solids. The analyses yield general design criteria for predicting, analyzing, and optimizing polarization transfer within solids and across interfaces between dissimilar materials.
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Using Spin Defects in Diamond
During the 69th session of the Global NMR Discussion Meetings held on June 13th, 2023 via Zoom, Prof. Dominik Bucher gave a talk on the topic "Nano- and Microscale Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Using Spin Defects in Diamond". The recording serves as a tutorial.
Abstract: Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), one of the most powerful analytical techniques in chemistry and life sciences, is typically limited to macroscopic volumes due to its inherent low sensitivity. This excludes NMR spectroscopy from the analysis of microscopic sample sizes, such as in single-cell biology or microfluidic applications. In recent years, it has been shown that NMR signals from nano- to microscale volumes can be detected by a new class of sensors - quantum sensors based on defects in the diamond lattice - the nitrogen vacancy (NV) centre. In this talk, I will first introduce NV centres and explain how these atom-sized sensors can be used to detect NMR signals. In the second part, I will provide an overview of this rapidly developing technology and discuss potential applications ranging from surface and materials science to lab-on-a-chip applications.
Prof. Dominik Bucher is a Rudolf-Mößbauer Professor at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany.
Website: https://www.ch.nat.tum.de/en/qsens/home/
Google scholar: https://scholar.google.de/citations?u...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bucherlab
Triplet Dynamic Nuclear Polarization
During the 66th session of the Global NMR Discussion Meetings held on May 2nd, 2023 via Zoom, Prof. Nobuhiro Yanai gave a talk on the topic "Triplet Dynamic Nuclear Polarization: New Polarizing Agents and Targets". The recording serves as a tutorial.
Abstract:
Triplet dynamic nuclear polarization (triplet-DNP), which utilizes the polarized electron spins of the photo-excited triplet, is an excellent method to obtain large nuclear spin polarization even under mild conditions below 1 T near room temperature. This talk will highlight the potential of triplet-DNP and the exciting new possibilities that have emerged with recent advancements in polarizing agents and targets. Specifically, I will cover the following topics:
- Mechanism of triplet-DNP as an introduction
- Expanding the targets using supramolecular polarizing agents
- Improving air stability and solubility with non-pentacene polarizing agents
- Challenging polarization transfer with the use of nanomaterials.
Nobuhiro Yanai is an Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kyushu University, Japan.
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/nobuhiroyanai/
Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nobuhiroyanai?lang=en
Solid-State NMR for Investigating Crystallization from Solution
During the 61st session of the Global NMR Discussion Meetings held on February 7th, 2023 via Zoom, Dr. Giulia Mollica gave a talk on the topic "Solid-state NMR for investigating crystallization from solution". The recording serves as a tutorial.
Abstract:
Crystallization underpins essential processes in our everyday life, creating exceptional materials. Yet, fundamental understanding of the mechanisms underlying crystallization processes is still lacking because of the scarcity of experimental approaches allowing atomic-level investigation of the sequence of intermediate phases formed during crystallization as a function of time. After introducing the basic principles of crystallization and the associated experimental challenges and current analytical approaches, I will discuss how NMR, coupled with hyperpolarization methods, can contribute to solve long standing questions on crystallization, with particular attention to organic polymorphic compounds. Current limitations and possible future directions will be discussed.
Dr. Giulia Mollica is a Research Director at the CNRS at the Institut de Chimie Radicalaire in Marseille, France.
Website: https://mollicalab.fr/
Google scholar: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citation...
twitter: https://twitter.com/giuliamollica
Microfluidics & Magnetic Resonance: A multidisciplinary challenge
During the 60th session of the Global NMR Discussion Meetings held on January 24th, 2023 via Zoom, Prof. Marcel Utz gave a talk on the topic "Microfluidics & Magnetic Resonance: A multidisciplinary challenge". The recording serves as a tutorial.
Abstract:
Microfluidic technology has rapidly advanced over the last two decades, and is increasingly transforming the practice of life science research, as well as (arguably more slowly) medical diagnostics. In particular, microfluidic assays are ideal platforms for the culture of cells, cell aggregates, and tissue slices, and form the basis of increasingly predictive disease models. Nuclear magnetic resonance, due to its non-invasive nature and ability to provide rich and detailed information on biological systems, is ideally suited to follow life processes in such microfluidic culture devices. However, the integration of high-performance NMR spectroscopy with microfluidic lab-on-a-chip devices is technically challenging due to the small sample volumes involved. Recent advances in hyperpolarization and alternative detection approaches offer important opportunities in this field. In this talk, I will give an overview of the opportunities and challenges in microfluidic NMR, and present some recent examples.
Prof. Marcel Utz is Professor of Magnetic Resonance, Microfluidics, and Complex Materials within Chemistry at the University of Southampton.
Website: https://utzgroup.ddns.net
Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?...
Surprising Consequences of High Electron Spin Polarization
During the 59th session of the Global NMR Discussion Meetings held on January 10th, 2023 via Zoom, Dr. Quentin Chappuis Stern gave a talk on the topic "The surprising consequences of near unity electron spin polarization". The recording serves as a tutorial.
Abstract:
The inherent low sensitivity of NMR can be overcome by hyperpolarization techniques, which increase the polarization of nuclear spins far beyond the Boltzmann equilibrium. One such method is dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), which consists of transferring the high polarization of unpaired electron spins to surrounding nuclear spins via microwave irradiation. In the case of dissolution DNP (dDNP), the sample is hyperpolarized in the solid state at low temperature (1-2 K) and moderate magnetic field (3-7 T), where the Boltzmann polarization of electron spins approaches unity, translating into equally high nuclear polarization under DNP. In addition to yielding high nuclear polarization, the high electron polarization has other interesting consequences for NMR. Indeed, as the electron polarization tends towards unity, the electron flip-flop probability vanishes, an effect sometimes referred to as “bath quenching”. By switching on and off microwave irradiation (microwave gating), one switches on and off electron flip-flops and hence paramagnetic relaxation. This has been shown to have a dramatic effect on transverse nuclear relaxation and on nuclear spin diffusion. In this talk, I will review the basic concepts of paramagnetic relaxation and its dependence on electron polarization. I will then present experiments where we used microwave gating to perform efficient CP, to detect EPR properties indirectly via NMR properties, and finally to study nuclear spin diffusion in the vicinity of electron spins.
Speaker's biography:
2014- Undergraduate and Masters, EPFL (Switzerland). Thesis with Prof. Bodenhausen
2022- PhD, CRMN Lyon (France), with Prof. Sami Jannin
Follow Dr. Stern's work here:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/quentinchapp
Google scholar: https://scholar.google.fr/citations?u...
Room Temperature DNP via P1 Centers in Diamond
During the 58th session of the Global NMR Discussion Meetings held on December 14th, 2022 via Zoom, Prof. Chandrasekhar Ramanathan from Dartmouth College, USA , gave a talk on the topic "Room Temperature DNP via substitutional-nitrogen (P1) centers in diamond". The recording serves as a tutorial.
Abstract:
Electron spins in diamond have long coherence and relaxation times at room temperature, making them an exciting platform for EPR and DNP experiments under ambient conditions. In this talk I will describe our recent W-band DNP experiments using the substitutional nitrogen (or P1) defect to hyperpolarize the 13C spins in both single crystal and diamond powders. The DNP spectra measured in these samples show signatures of multiple mechanisms including the solid effect, the cross effect, the truncated cross effect and the Overhauser effect. I will discuss how variations in the microscopic environments of the spins could lead to these observations.
Follow Prof. Ramanathan's work here:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sekharspins
Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?...
Website: https://sites.dartmouth.edu/quantum-s...
Parahydrogen-based Exchange Chemistry for Next-Generation MR
The Fall 2022 series of meetings began on September 20th with a talk by Dr. Danila Barskiy on the topic "Parahydrogen-based Exchange Chemistry for Next-Generation Magnetic Resonance". The recording serves as a tutorial.
Abstract:
In my talk, I will present our recent work demonstrating that parahydrogen-based spin chemistry can generate hyperpolarized molecules (urea, alcohols, amino acids, ammonium, glucose, etc.) for benchtop (1 tesla) NMR as well as for zero- to ultralow-field (ZULF) NMR. I will describe the basics of exchange-based hyperpolarization and discuss potential applications for chemical analysis.
Speaker's biography:
Dr. Danila A. Barskiy
PhD - Novosibirsk University, 2012 - 2015
Postdoc - Vanderbilt University, 2015 - 2017
Postdoc - University of California Berkeley, 2017 - 2020
Presently, he is a research Group Leader at the Helmholtz Institute, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. His group works on chemistry-oriented hyperpolarization technologies for affordable nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and imaging (MRI).
Follow Dr. Barskiy's work here:
Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?...
Website: https://budker.uni-mainz.de/?page_id=70
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tovarishbarskiy
Overhauser Dynamic Nuclear Polarization in the Liquid State
During the 40th session of the Global NMR Discussion Meetings held on December 7th, 2021 via Zoom, Marcel Levien, Ph.D. student in Prof. Marina Bennati's laboratory at Max Planck, Göttingen, Germany, gave a talk on "Overhauser Dynamic Nuclear Polarization in the liquid state at room temperature at low and high magnetic fields". The recording serves as a tutorial.
Abstract: Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) is a tool that promises to overcome the long-standing sensitivity issues in modern Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). While it is already commercially available in the solid-state, in the liquid state at room temperature the development at high magnetic field is still in its infancy. However, recent advances in the understanding of the polarization transfer mechanisms and in the hardware technology demonstrate the viability of DNP in liquids at high magnetic fields. During this talk, the general Overhauser mechanism for the liquid state will be discussed. Particularly, the polarization transfer via scalar interaction, its frequency dependence as well as the role of the polarizing agent will be explained. Finally, an overview about recent applications at low field as well as developments at high magnetic field will be given.
Speaker's biography:
2012 – 2015: BSc. Chemistry, University of Göttingen, Germany
2015 – 2017: MSc. Chemistry, University of Göttingen, Germany
2018 – present: PhD student, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
Time-resolved solid-state NMR: Overview, Application in Biophysics
During the 38th session of the Global NMR Discussion Meetings on Zoom, Dr. Blake Wilson, National Institute of Health (NIH) Bethesda, gave a tutorial on "Time-resolved solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy: an overview, with applications to biophysical systems".
Bio of Dr. Blake Wilson:
2013: B.S. Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Prob. Bob Griffin)
2013 - 2019: PhD, University of California, Santa Barbara (Prof. Mark Sherwin and Prof. Songi Han)
2019 - Present: Postdoctoral fellow, NIH Bethesda (Dr. Rob Tycko)
Follow Dr. Wilson and his work:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blkwiln
Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?...
Abstract: I will give an overview of time-resolved solid-state NMR techniques, and how they can be used to study structural conversion processes in biophysical systems. A variety of methods, including rapid pH jumps, rapid temperature jumps, and rapid mixing of different species, can be used to initiate biophysical processes, which can subsequently be probed with millisecond time resolution by sudden freezing followed by interrogation with solid-state NMR. I will discuss how dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) has been shown to dramatically improve the sensitivity of time-resolved NMR techniques, with the aim of capturing structural information from sparsely populated intermediate states.
Dual NMR-EPR Detection in an Ultra Low Temperature DNP Spectrometer
During the 37th session of the Global NMR Discussion Meetings on Zoom, Kan Tagami, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), gave a talk on the instrumentation aspects of a dynamic nuclear polarization spectrometer with dual nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) detection at ultra-low temperatures.
Speaker's biography:
2012 - 2016: B.S., Chemistry, College of William and Mary, USA.
2016 - present: Graduate Student Researcher, Chemistry, University of California - Santa Barbara, USA (Advisor: Prof. Songi Han)
Kan's research interest is in the spin physics and instrumentation of dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) in solid state NMR. His goal is to improve the efficiency of solid state DNP under MAS through development of both EPR and NMR instruments, as well as use a wide variety of existing magnetic resonance techniques to characterize and exploit the underlying mechanisms of DNP. Currently, his focus is on development of a low temperature (30K), high field (7T) pulsed EPR/DNP spectrometer with magic angle spinning capabilities.
For more information, see the Han Lab website: https://han.chem.ucsb.edu
Practicalities of SPINACH - a tutorial lecture
In Session 33 of the Global NMR Discussion Meetings, Prof. Ilya Kuprov gave a second talk on performing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) simulations using the SPINACH program, with an emphasis on practical aspects.
Watch Part 1 here: https://youtu.be/3fnRgGCKnLU
Download related resources from Prof. Kuprov: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/55kn4enfve...
Website and SPINACH download: https://spindynamics.org
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?...
Prof. Kuprov is a world renowned magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging specialist with a particular focus on large-scale computer simulation of magnetic processes in chemical and biological systems; this includes quantum optimal control and machine learning methods.
Bio:
2005: DPhil, Chemistry, University of Oxford (with Prof. Peter Hore)
2005-2010: Fellow by Examination, Magdalen College, Oxford 2
007-2009: Lecturer in Chemistry, University of Durham
2009-2011: EPSRC Early Career Fellow, University of Oxford
2011-present: Associate Professor of Chemical Physics at the University of Southampton
2018-present: Associate Editor, Science Advances.
Dissolution DNP-enhanced Zero- to Ultralow-Field NMR
In session 29 held on 8th June 2021, Román Picazo-Frutos gave a talk on dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP)-enhanced zero- to ultralow-Field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, via Zoom. The video was recorded live during the presentation and serves as an educative lecture.
Bio:
2016: Bachelor's in Physics, Universitat de Valencia, Spain
2018: Master's degree in Physics, Johannes Gutenberg Universität, Germany
2019-present: PhD student, Helmholtz-Institut, Mainz, Germany (Prof. Dmitry Budker)
Román works on Zero- and Ultra-low field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (ZULF NMR). Román is also interested in hyperpolarization, atomic physics, photonics and relaxometry in NMR.
Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?...
Budker group website: https://budker.uni-mainz.de/
ZULF blog post: getting rid of noise source in ZULF NMR : https://blog.zulf.eu/BP3.php
Abstract:
Zero- and ultra-low field NMR (ZULF-NMR) is a modality of NMR experiment that do not require strong magnets with applications ranging from molecular spectroscopy and chemical-reaction monitoring to dark-matter searches and exotic physics. However, it suffers from low sensitivity. In this work we combine dissolution Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (dDNP) to enhance biomolecules signals in a ZULF-NMR experiment. We discuss the scope of this hyperpolarization technique for ZULF NMR, such as the sample transfer and paramagnetic relaxation caused by the polarizing agent in DNP. We believe this technique can become an established choice for hyperpolarization in ZULF NMR.
Additional references:
Proton to carbon polarization transfer in NMR: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/a...
Observing through metal containers at zero field: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/artic...
General Review on ZULF NMR: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/a...
Parahydrogen hyperpolarization: biomedical imaging to RASER physics
After a brief break during December 2020, Global NMR Discussion Meetings is excited to continue hosting educative lectures on a wide variety of NMR topics starting January 2021. In session 20 that was held on 19th January, 2021 (via Zoom), Prof. Thomas Theis gave a talk on "Parahydrogen based hyperpolarization, novel development for applications ranging from biomedical imaging to RASER physics." The video was recorded live during the presentation and serves as an educative lecture.
Bio: Dr. Thomas Theis is Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research is focused on hyperpolarization technology and unconventional NMR and MRI detection schemes. Dr. Theis was born in Heidelberg, Germany, raised in Tenerife, Spain, and completed his undergraduate and masters at the Georg-August University of Goettingen (Germany). Theis received his PhD in 2012 from UC Berkeley (USA) working with Prof. Alexander Pines on "zero-field NMR" and “parahydrogen hyperpolarization schemes” for portable NMR. Dr. Theis conducted postdoctoral research at Duke University (USA) with Prof. Warren Warren focused on "singlet states for hyperpolarization storage", and worked on "low-field NMR" as visiting professor at RWTH Aachen University with Prof. Stephan Appelt (Germany). In 2015, he was promoted to Research Assistant Professor at Duke University developing “cost-efficient hyperpolarization techniques for molecular imaging”. Since 2018, Dr. Theis leads the North Carolina State Hyperpolarization Laboratory.
Follow Prof. Theis on:
Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?...
Research group website: https://theislab.wordpress.ncsu.edu/p...
Abstract: Parahydrogen based hyperpolarization methods can create nuclear spin hyperpolarization directly in room temperature solutions to enhance NMR and MRI signals by up to seven orders of magnitude, depending on the magnetic field. Novel approaches to Parahydrogen Induced Polarization (PHIP) open new windows of opportunity in the field of magnetic resonance. In this talk the four following topics are discussed:
1) Parahydrogen as a Source of Spin Order, an Introduction.
2) Optical detection of PHIP with Rb-vapor and NV-centers.
3) Everlasting Sources of Long-Lasting Hyperpolarization.
4) The parahydrogen pumped RASER for precision measurements.
Frequency-Agile Instrumentation for High Field DNP/EPR Spectroscopy
The 19th session of the Global NMR Discussion Meeting was held on 24th November 2020 via Zoom. Dr. Thorsten Maly gave a talk on versatile, frequency-agile instrumentation for high field dynamic nuclear polarization/electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The video was recorded live during the presentation and serves as an educative lecture. Bio: 2005 Ph.D. in Chemistry, JWG University Frankfurt, Germany (group of Prof. Thomas Prisner) 2005-2010 Postdoc, MIT, Cambridge, USA (group of Prof. Bob Griffin) 2010-present: co-founder Bridge12 Technologies, Inc., Framingham USA
Follow Thorsten on social media:
Twitter: @thmaly
Website: http://www.bridge12.com/thorsten-maly/
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?...
Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/...
Abstract: To further improve the DNP methodology it is crucial to understand the EPR properties of the DNP sample at the field of the DNP experiment. However, gyrotron-based DNP system only offer limited flexibility to extract EPR parameters. In this tutorial, I will review frequency-agile instrumentation suitable for high-frequency DNP and EPR spectroscopy. I will discuss strategies for generating and detecting microwave radiation and will present the fundamental basics of quasi- optics, necessary to separate the incident from the reflected microwave beam.
Paramagnetic Metal Ion Polarizing Agents for DNP
The 15th session of the Global NMR Discussion Meeting was held on 29th September 2020 via Zoom. Prof. Björn Corzilius gave a talk on paramagnetic metal ion polarizing agents for dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). The video was recorded live during the presentation and serves as an educative lecture.
Prof. Corzilius is the leader of the Solid-State DNP research group at the Institute of Chemistry and the Department of Life, Light & Matter, at the University of Rostock, Germany.
Website: http://www.solidstatednp.com/
Theoretical Understanding of MAS Dynamic Nuclear Polarization
The 14th session of the Global NMR Discussion Meeting was held on 15th September 2020 via Zoom. Dr. Asif Equbal gave a talk on the theoretical Understanding of magic angle spinning (MAS) Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP). The video was recorded live during the presentation and serves as an educative lecture.
Dr. Asif Equbal is currently a postdoctoral scientist in the research group of Prof. Songi Han at the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB), U.S.A.
Follow Dr. Equbal on Twitter: @asifequbal313
Website: https://han.chem.ucsb.edu/people/asif...