Pulsed gradient spin echo diffusion

Pulsed gradient spin echo diffusion studies in polymers... 

E. von Meerwall and K.R. Bruno, "Pulsed-gradient Spin-echo Diffusion Study of Polydisperse Paraffin Mixtures," J. Magn. Reson.. 62. 417-427 (1985). 

E.D. von Meerwall, "Interpreting Pulsed-gradient Spin-echo Diffusion Experiments in Polydisperse Specimens," J. Mag. Reson.. 50 409-416 (1982). 

It is this relative insensitivity that is usually considered as the major drawback of NMR spectroscopy. However, the flexibility of the NMR technique, with the ability to obtain structural information, quantitative data (e.g. kinetic parameters), as well as an indication of molecular volume, using pulsed gradient spin echo (PGSE) NMR diffusion methods [6], makes NMR a most valuable tool. 

The solvent mobility in atactic polystyrene-toluene solutions has been studied as a function of temperature using NMR. The local reorientation of the solvent was studied using deuterium NMR relaxation times on the deuterated solvent. Longer range motions were also probed using the pulsed-gradient spin-echo NMR method for the measurement of diffusion coefficients on the protonated solvent. The measurements were taken above and below the gel transition temperatures reported by Tan et al. (Macromolecules, 1983. 16, 28). It was found that both the relaxation time measurements and the diffusion coefficients of the solvent varied smoothly through the reported transition temperature. Consequently, it appears that in this system, the solvent dynamics are unaffected by gel formation. This result is similar to that found in other chemically crossed-linked systems. 

The self-diffusion coefficient measurements were made using the pulsed-gradient spin-echo (PGSE) method which has recently been reviewed (JLL). For a nucleus in an isotropic solution, the PGSE-NMR normalized signal intensity, 1/1q is given by ... 

Diffusion and Pulsed Gradient Spin Echo Measurements... 

Noda, A., Hayamizu, K., and Watanabe, M., Pulsed-gradient spin-echo H and NMR ionic diffusion coefficient, viscosity and ionic conductivity of non-chloroaluminate room-temperature ionic liquids, /. Phys. Chem. B, 105, 4603,2001. 

Pulsed gradient spin-echo (PGSE) NMR techniques have also been employed to study the structure of the oil phase [12]. This gives an idea of the mobility of each component in the HIPE, and showed that, for stable emulsions and HIPEs, the oil phase was indeed a reverse micellar solution which solubilises water. Further work using PGSE NMR has shown that water can diffuse between aqueous droplets in concentrated emulsions [101]. Presumably this involves solubilisation of the water molecules by the micellar oil phase. 

When pulsed magnetic field gradients are applied to study diffusive processes, the MR technique is often referred to as pulsed field gradient or pulsed gradient spin echo (PGSE) MR. Application of PGSE MR techniques to quantify molecular diffusion was pioneered by Stejskal and Tanner 17,18), and the techniques typically probe molecular displacements of 10 -10 m over time scales of the order 10 M s. 

PGSE pulsed-gradient spin echo method of measuring self-diffusion,... 

The q-space imaging method, which deals with signals only after long diffusion times, discards all information relevant to dynamic aspects of water diffusion and transport, especially the restriction of water transport by membrane and cell wall permeability barriers in cellular tissues. This information is contained in the functional dependence of the pulsed gradient spin echo amplitude S(q,A,x) on the three independent variables q, A, and x (x is the 90-180 degree pulse spacing) [53]. As the tool to explore the q and A dependence of S(q,A,x), generalized diffusion times and their associated fractional populations are introduced and a multiple exponential time series expansion is used to analyze the dependence [53]. 

Diffusions NMR spectroscopy (e.g. PGSE = Pulsed Gradient Spin Echo STE = Stimulated Echo DOSY = Diffusion Ordered Spectroscopy) is a straightforward and accurate method for determination of the self-diffusion coefficient of a molecule. Its principal use in dendrimer chemistry is for size determination of dissolved dendrimers since the self-diffusion coefficient is directly correlated with the hydrodynamic radius of the molecule via the Stokes-Einstein equation [24]. Although one-dimensional and multidimensional diffusion NMR experiments can thus make an important contribution to structural characterisation of dendrimers, they have been used comparatively rarely until recently [25, 26]. 

Abstract We use Nuclear Magnetic Resonance relaxometry (i.e. the frequency variation of the NMR relaxation rates) of quadrupolar nucleus ( Na) and H Pulsed Gradient Spin Echo NMR to determine the mobility of the counterions and the water molecules within aqueous dispersions of clays. The local ordering of isotropic dilute clay dispersions is investigated by NMR relaxometry. In contrast, the NMR spectra of the quadrupolar nucleus and the anisotropy of the water self-diffusion tensor clearly exhibit the occurrence of nematic ordering in dense aqueous dispersions. Multi-scale numerical models exploiting molecular orbital quantum calculations, Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulations, Molecular and Brownian Dynamics are used to interpret the measured water mobility and the ionic quadrupolar relaxation measurements. 

Diffusion coefficients derived from pulsed gradient spin echo NMR-studies show lower values for the encapsulated guest identical to those of the host, see Frish, L. Matthews, S. E. Bohmer, V. Cohen, Y. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 2 1999, 669-671. 

PULSED-GRADIENT SPIN-ECHO (PGSE) NMR FOR MEASUREMENTS OF SELF-DIFFUSION COEFFICIENTS... 

Figure 5.1 Pulsed-gradient spin-echo NMR sequence for the measurement of self-diffusion coefficient.

Callaghan, P. T., Coy, A., Halpin, T. P. J., MacGowan, D., Packer, K. J., and Zelaya, F. O. (1992). Diffusion in porous systems and the influence of pore morphology in pulsed gradient spin-echo nuclear magnetic resonance studies. J. Chem. Phys. 97, 651-662. 

Coy, A., and Callaghan, P. T. (1994a). Pulsed gradient spin echo NMR diffusive diffraction experiments on water surrounding close-packed polymer spheres. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 168, 373-437. 

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