Beyond the silica surface by direct silicon-29 dynamic nuclear polarization

O. Lafon (1) , M. Rosay (2) , F. Aussenac (3) , X. Lu (1) , J. Trebosc (1) , O. Cristini (4) , C. Kinowski (4) , N. Touati (5) , H. Vezin (5) , J.P. Amoureux (1)

1 UCCS - Unité de Catalyse et Chimie du Solide - UMR 8181
2 Bruker Biospin Corporation
3 Bruker Biospin SA
4 PhLAM - Laboratoire de Physique des Lasers, Atomes et Molécules - UMR 8523
5 LASIRE - Laboratoire Avancé de Spectroscopie pour les Intéractions la Réactivité et l'Environnement - UMR 8516

Buried truth: High-field magic angle spinning dynamic nuclear polarization (MAS DNP) enhances the sensitivity of solid-state NMR spectroscopy, but only for protonated surfaces. Direct ²⁹Si DNP using the biradical TOTAPOL (see picture) circumvents this limitation by producing a 30-fold enhancement of subsurface ²⁹Si NMR signals in mesoporous silica, a material with applications in photonics, nanotechnology and catalysis.

Keywords: dynamic nuclear polarization; mesoporous materials; NMR spectroscopy; silicon

Domains: Theoretical and/or physical chemistry

O. Lafon, M. Rosay, F. Aussenac, X. Lu, J. Trebosc, et al.. Beyond the silica surface by direct silicon-29 dynamic nuclear polarization. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2011, 50, pp.8367 - 8370. ⟨10.1002/anie.201101841⟩. ⟨hal-00624571⟩