Pulsed Dynamic Nuclear Polarization with Trityl Radicals

Abstract

Continuous-wave (CW) dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is now established as a method of choice to enhance the sensitivity in a variety of NMR experiments. Nevertheless, there remains a need for the development of more efficient methods to transfer polarization from electrons to nuclei. Of particular interest are pulsed DNP methods because they enable a rapid and efficient polarization transfer that, in contrast with CW DNP methods, is not attenuated at high magnetic fields. Here we report nuclear spin orientation via electron spin-locking (NOVEL) experiments using the polarizing agent trityl OX063 in glycerol/water at a temperature of 80 K and a magnetic field of 0.34 T. [superscript 1]H NMR signal enhancements up to 430 are observed, and the buildup of the local polarization occurs in a few hundred nanoseconds. Thus, NOVEL can efficiently dynamically polarize [superscript 1]H atoms in a system that is of general interest to the solid-state DNP NMR community. This is a first, important step toward the general application of pulsed DNP at higher fields.