Gegenstand der Arbeit ist die PFG NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance with pulsed field gradients), wobei speziell die apparativen und experimentellen Bedingungen untersucht werden, welche sich durch die Verwendung ultra-hoher gepulster magnetischer Feldgradienten von bis zu 35T/m ergeben. Motiv für die Arbeit ist die Untersuchung von Diffusionserscheinungen in mikroporösen Wirtssystemen mit inneren magnetischen Feldgradienten oder/und kurzen T2-Relaxationzeiten. Nach Zusammenstellung der notwendigen Werkzeuge zur mathematischen Beschreibung von PFG NMR-Experimenten werden die aus der Literatur bekannten Impulssequenzen kritisch untersucht und durch eigene Weiterentwicklungen ergänzt. Für wichtige PFG NMR-Impulssequenzen wird eine verallgemeinerte Schreibweise vorgestellt und auf beliebige Formen der gepulsten magnetischen Feldgradienten ausgedehnt. Weiterhin werden Störeinflüsse auf das PFG NMR-Experiment untersucht und zunächst in allgemeiner Form Möglichkeiten zu deren Beseitigung bzw. Unterdrückung dargestellt. Die so gewonnenen Erkenntnisse fanden konkrete Anwendung bei der Konzeption und dem Bau des PFG NMR-Spektrometers Fegris 400 NT. Dieses Gerät wird, soweit es den Gegenstand der Arbeit berührt, ebenfalls beschrieben und in der Anlage dokumentiert. Abschließend sind einige Untersuchungen, die mit dem Fegris 400 NT durchgeführt wurden und in der dargestellten Form erst mit diesem Gerät möglich waren, kurz skizziert, wobei für weitergehende Informationen auf die entsprechenden Veröffentlichungen verwiesen wird.

Zugl.: Berlin, Freie Univ., Diss., 2008

Zugl.: Aachen, Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2008

Developments in Multivariate DOSY processing and Pure Shift NMR, authored by Adam Colbourne and submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Manchester, 26th February 2014. The theme of this thesis is resolution; the separation of overlapping, entangled information in NMR spectroscopy data. The ability to resolve the features of a dataset is important because it greatly simplifies, or even makes possible, the interpretation of those features to yield information. Here, methods developed to increase resolving power in two different areas of NMR spectroscopy are described; these areas are so-called 'pure shift' or δ-resolved NMR and diffusion-ordered spectroscopy (DOSY). Pure shift NMR aims to reduce the overlap of the signals present in an NMR spectrum by collapsing the multiplet structure caused by spin-spin coupling. There are a variety of methods for achieving this, each of which has its pros and cons. A homo-nuclear decoupling scheme originated by K. Zangger and H. Sterk is implemented in its most recent form to decouple the F1 and F2 dimensions of the 2D NOESY experiment individually. The application of covariance processing to allow the removal of all the multiplet structure from data produced by these singly decoupled experiments is demonstrated and the results discussed. Full experimental homo-nuclear decoupling of 2D NMR is discussed and demonstrated with the TOCSY experiment using a combination of Bax's constant time decoupling scheme in F1 and Zangger-Sterk decoupling in F2. DOSY is strictly a catch-all term for the data processing applied to pulsed field gradient NMR data to extract information on the diffusion of chemical species, but is widely accepted as referring to the combination of the two. Applied to mixtures, DOSY is a powerful tool that can allow the separation of the spectra of the mixture components; this greatly simplifies the process of interpreting mixture NMR data. However, DOSY processing struggles where signals from different, but similarly diffusing chemical species overlap; one is faced with the problem of separating similar, overlapping exponentials in noisy data. Standard DOSY processing schemes can be described as univariate or multivariate with respect to the way in which they handle DOSY data; the former analyses the data a single frequency at a time, the latter tries to untangle the whole dataset at once. Multivariate processing schemes are better suited to resolving overlap in DOSY data, because they use all of the information available, the counter point being that too much information causes them to break down. SCORE is one such algorithm. Research into constraining and augmenting SCORE is presented, leading into a discussion of the potential application of prior knowledge of the DOSY dataset. While exploring the application of prior knowledge, it was realised that the differences between the spectra extracted by SCORE could be used to separate mixture components in a general manner. The presented OUTSCORE algorithm uses information from both the spectra and diffusion dimensions of DOSY data to separate components almost an order of magnitude more similarly diffusing than was previously possible. Finally, a hybrid processing scheme termed LOCODOSY is reported, that breaks a dataset down into smaller sections for individual multivariate analysis before recombination of the results; circumventing the problem of having too much or too little data in any one analysis. The LOCODOSY processing scheme is demonstrated on both the SCORE and OUTSCORE algorithms.

A systematic NMR cryo-porometry and -diffusometry study using nitrobenzene as a probe liquid is carried out in order to characterise pore structures of hierarchically-organised porous silica monolith possessing mesopores along with a 3D bicontinuous macropore network. The result obtained from NMR cryoporometry shows the presence of a relatively wide mesopore size distribution of 10-35 nm. Furthermore, NMR cryodiffusometry indicates that whilst the mesopores are highly tortuous (Tmeso ≈6), they have little influence on the overall tortuosity of the material (Tmacro ≈1.5), which is largely dominated by the macropores (Toverall ≈1.7).

Abstract The present thesis exploits advanced liquid and gas NMR methods for the characterization of various interesting materials. The methods used to study the structural properties of thermally modified wood, ionic liquids, cements, shales, and porous organic cages include MRI, NMR cryoporometry, Laplace NMR, multidimensional Laplace NMR, as well as ¹²⁹Xe and ¹⁹F NMR. The commonality factor in all the studies is the usage of either inherent or introduced liquid or gas molecules to probe the topical materials. The MRI method was utilized to visualize the water absorption phenomena in the thermally modified pine wood. High-resolution images made it possible to observe the spatial distribution of free water and the changes in the rate of absorption of water in wood samples modified at different temperatures. The images also helped to resolve the individual resin channels. T₂ maps enabled us to observe the changes in the relaxation values of free water in thermally modified wood as compared to their unmodified reference wood samples. The multidimensional Laplace NMR methods were exploited to study the structural and dynamical properties of a novel halogen-free, boron-based ionic liquid (hf-BIL). NMR self-diffusion (D) experiments showed the presence of two coexisting dynamic phases in hf-BIL. Multidimensional D − T₂ correlation experiments made it possible to determine the T₂ relaxation times of the slow and fast diffusing phases. T₂ − T₂ relaxation exchange measurements allowed quantifying the exchange rates of anions and cations between the phases. Moreover, the theoretical modeling of the experimental data revealed that the slow diffusing phase was composed of anion-cation aggregates, while the fast diffusing phase was comprised of free anions and cations. ¹²⁹Xe NMR analysis of the xenon adsorbed in the cements and shales helped us to determine their porous structures. The method exploits the high sensitivity of the chemical shift of ¹²⁹Xe to its local environment. The chemical shift value of ¹²⁹Xe enabled us to estimate the size of the mesopores in the cement samples. The exchange spectroscopy (EXSY) measurements were used to determine the exchange rates between the free gas and mesopores of the cement samples. ¹²⁹Xe NMR spectra of the shale samples provided information about pore sizes and paramagnetic compounds. ¹H NMR cryoporometry measurements of the shale samples immersed in acetonitrile made it possible to analyze the pore size distribution ranging from 10 to over 100 nm. Moreover, T₂ − T₂ exchange measurements helped us to quantify the exchange rates of acetonitrile in the shale samples. Xenon and SF₆ were used as internal reporters to gain versatile information on adsorption phenomena in the cage and window cavities of the crystalline porous organic cages. ¹²⁹Xe NMR analysis of the adsorbed xenon helped us to determine the diffusion coefficients and activation energy of diffusion as well as thermodynamic parameters. With the help of T₂ relaxation time values, it was possible to estimate the exchange rates between cage and window cavities. Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) experiments resolved a window cavity site, which arises from crystal defects in porous organic cages. In addition, ¹⁹F NMR analysis made it possible to estimate the relaxation rates and diffusion coefficients of SF₆ gas in porous organic cages. Modelling of the T₁, T₂ and diffusion data confirmed that the cage to window exchange is the completely dominating mechanism for ¹²⁹Xe T₂ relaxation. T₁ relaxation is dominated by diffusion modulated dipole-dipole relaxation (DDinter) and chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) relaxation due to local cavity mobility. Whereas, in case of SF₆ T₂ data, the dominating mechanism is diffusion modulated dipole-dipole relaxation and for T₁ the local tumbling of SF₆ in cage cavity is the key dynamics behind the dipole-dipole and CSA mechanisms. / Original papers The original publications are not included in the electronic version of the dissertation. Javed, M. A., Kekkonen, P. M., Ahola, S., & Telkki, V.-V. (2015). Magnetic resonance imaging study of water absorption in thermally modified pine wood. Holzforschung, 69(7), 899–907. https://doi.org/10.1515/hf-2014-0183 Javed, M. A., Ahola, S., Håkansson, P., Mankinen, O., Aslam, M. K., Filippov, A., … Telkki, V.-V. (2017). Structure and dynamics elucidation of ionic liquids using multidimensional Laplace NMR. Chem. Commun., 53(80), 11056–11059. https://doi.org/10.1039/c7cc05493a http://jultika.oulu.fi/Record/nbnfi-fe2017102750335 Javed, M. A., Komulainen, S., Daigle, H., Zhang, B., Vaara, J., Zhou, B., & Telkki, V.-V. (2019). Determination of pore structures and dynamics of fluids in hydrated cements and natural shales by various ¹H and ¹²⁹Xe NMR methods. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 281, 66–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micromeso.2019.02.034 http://jultika.oulu.fi/Record/nbnfi-fe2019041712678 Komulainen, S., Roukala, J., Zhivonitko, V. V., Javed, M. A., Chen, L., Holden, D., … Telkki, V.-V. (2017). Inside information on xenon adsorption in porous organic cages by NMR. Chemical Science, 8(8), 5721–5727. https://doi.org/10.1039/C7SC01990D http://jultika.oulu.fi/Record/nbnfi-fe201709288804 Håkansson, P., Javed, M. A., Komulainen, S., Chen, L., Holden, D., Hasell, T., … Telkki, V.-V. (2019). NMR relaxation and modelling study of the dynamics of SF₆ and Xe in porous organic cages. Manuscript.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has become an effective borehole measurement option to assess petrophysical and fluid properties of porous and permeable rocks. In the case of fluid typing, two-dimensional (2D) NMR interpretation techniques have advantages over conventional one-dimensional (1D) interpretation as they provide additional discriminatory information about saturating fluids and their properties. However, often there is ambiguity as to whether fluids detected with NMR measurements are mobile or residual. In some instances, rapid vertical variations of rock properties (e.g. across thinly-bedded formations) can make it difficult to separate NMR fluid signatures from those due to pore-size distributions. There are also cases where conventional fluid identification methods based on resistivity and nuclear logs indicate dominant presence of water while NMR measurements indicate presence of water, hydrocarbon, and mud filtrate. In such cases, it is important to ascertain whether existing hydrocarbons are residual or mobile. The radial lengths of investigation of resistivity, nuclear, and NMR measurements are very different, with NMR measurements being the shallowest sensing. Even in the case of several radial zones of NMR response attributed to different acquisition frequencies and DC magnetic field gradients, the measured signal originates from a fairly shallow radial zone compared to that of nuclear and resistivity logs. Depending on drilling mud being used and the radial extent of mud-filtrate invasion, the NMR response of virgin reservoir fluids can be masked by mud filtrate because of fluid displacement and mixing. In order to separate those effects, it is important to reconcile NMR measurements with electrical and nuclear logs for improved assessment of porosity and mobile hydrocarbon saturation. Previously, Voss et al. (2009) and Gandhi et al. (2010) introduced the concept of Common Stratigraphic Framework (CSF) to construct and validate multi-layer static and dynamic petrophysical models based on the numerical simulation of well logs. In this thesis, the concept of CSF is implemented to reconcile 2D NMR interpretations with multi-layer static and dynamic petrophysical models. It is found that quantifying the exact radial zone of response and corresponding fluid saturations can only be accomplished with studies of mud-filtrate invasion that honor available resistivity and nuclear logs. This thesis indicates that the two interpretation methods complement each other and when applied in conjunction, improve and refine the overall petrophysical understanding of permeable rock formations. Examples of successful application include field data acquired in thinly-bedded gas formations invaded with water-base mud, where bed-boundary effects are significant and residual hydrocarbon saturation is relatively high. In such cases, numerical simulation of mud-filtrate invasion and well logs acquired after invasion enables reliable interpretations of petrophysical and fluid properties. The interpretation procedure introduced in this thesis also provides an explicit way to determine the uncertainty of petrophysical and fluid interpretations. / text

Macromolecular transitions such as conformational changes and protein-protein association underlie many biological processes. Conformational changes in the N-terminal domain of the transmembrane protein DsbD (nDsbD) were studied by NMR and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. nDsbD supplies reductant to biosynthetic pathways in the oxidising periplasm of Gram-negative bacteria after receiving reductant from the C-terminal domain of DsbD (cDsbD). Reductant transfer in the DsbD pathway happens via protein-protein association and subsequent thiol-disulphide exchange reactions. The cap loop shields the active-site cysteines in nDsbD from non-cognate oxidation, but needs to open when nDsbD bind its interaction partners. The loop was rigid in MD simulations of reduced nDsbD. More complicated dynamics were observed for oxidised nDsbD, as the disulphide bond introduces frustration which led to loop opening in some trajectories. The simulations of oxidised and reduced nDsbD agreed well with previous NMR spin-relaxation and residual dipolar coupling measurements as well as chemical shift-based torsion angle predictions. NMR relaxation dispersion experiments revealed that the cap loop of oxidised nDsbD exchanges between a major and a minor conformation. The differences in their conformational dynamics may explain why oxidised nDsbD binds its physiological partner cDsbD much tighter than reduced nDsbD. The redox-state dependent interaction between cDsbD and nDsbD is thought to enhance turnover. NMR relaxation dispersion experiments gave insight into the kinetics of the redox-state dependent interaction. MD simulations identified dynamic encounter complexes in the association of nDsbD with cDsbD. The mechanism of the conformational changes in the transport cycle of LacY were also investigated. LacY switches between periplasmic open and cytoplasmic open conformations to transport sugars across the cell membrane. Two mechanisms have been proposed for the conformational change, a rocker-switch mechanism based on rigid body motions and an “airlock” like mechanism in which the transporter would switch conformation via a fully occluded structure. In MD simulations using the novel dynamics importance sampling approach such a fully occluded structure was found. The simulations argued against a strict “rocker-switch” mechanism.

Conventional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers—the electronic brain that orchestrates and monitors nuclear spin motions—are bulky, expensive, thus, not scalable. In this thesis, we report on scalable 4-mm2 silicon spectrometer chips that perform a broad range of two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy—e.g., correlation spectroscopy, J-resolved spectroscopy, and heteronuclear quantum coherence spectroscopy—as well as one-dimensional spectroscopy and relaxometry. In this way, they examine a wealth of nuclear spin behaviors and interactions in biological, organic, and pharmaceutical compound molecules, elucidating their structures and dynamics. This semiconductor-based NMR spectroscopy opens up new exciting vistas with two prime advantages. First, with size/cost economy and scalability, the spectrometer chips can be parallelized sharing the same bore of a magnet—whether a large superconducting or small permanent magnet—to greatly simplify multi-channel spectroscopy and vastly increase the spectroscopy throughput, overcoming the intrinsic slowness of NMR spectroscopy; such parallelism may enable the much-desired high-throughput NMR paradigm for drug discovery, metabolomics/metabonomics, and structural biology. We demonstrate the concept of this parallelism by 2-channel heteronuclear quantum coherence NMR experiments, where 2 chips run synchronously in an ultra-compact configuration. Second, the chip spectrometers can complement the recent advance in magnet miniaturization to realize bona fide portable NMR spectroscopy systems. To demonstrate this miniaturization benefit (in addition to the orthogonal benefit of parallelism), we perform all our spectroscopy experiments in a platform combining the spectrometer chips with a compact permanent NdFeB magnet. These demonstrations suggest new dimensions to the technology and applications of NMR spectroscopy enabled by the integrated spectrometers. / Engineering and Applied Sciences

NMR experiments performed under the effect of electric fields, either continuous or pulsed, can provide quantitative parameters related to ion association and ion transport in solution.  Electrophoretic NMR (eNMR) is based on a diffusion pulse-sequence with electric fields applied in the form of pulses. Magnetic field gradients enable the measurement of the electrophoretic mobility of charged species, a parameter that can be related to ionic association. The effective charge of the tetramethylammonium cation ion in water, dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO), acetonitrile, methanol and ethanol was estimated by eNMR and diffusion measurements and compared to the value predicted by the Debye-Hückel-Onsager limiting law. The difference between the predicted and measured effective charge was attributed to ion pairing which was found to be especially significant in ethanol. The association of a large set of cations to polyethylene oxide (PEO) in methanol, through the ion-dipole interaction, was quantified by eNMR. The trends found were in good agreement with the scarce data from other methods. Significant association was found for cations that have a surface charge density below a critical value. For short PEO chains, the charge per monomer was found to be significantly higher than for longer PEO chains when binding to the same cations. This was attributed to the high entropy cost required to rearrange a long chain in order to optimize the ion-dipole interactions with the cations. Moreover, it was suggested that short PEO chains may exhibit distinct binding modes in the presence of different cations, as supported by diffusion measurements, relaxation measurements and chemical shift data. The protonation state of a uranium (VI)-adenosine monophosphate (AMP) complex in aqueous solution was measured by eNMR in the alkaline pH range. The question whether or not specific oxygens in the ligand were protonated was resolved by considering the possible association of other species present in the solution to the complex. The methodology of eNMR was developed through the introduction of a new pulse-sequence which suppresses artifactual flow effects in highly conductive samples. In another experimental setup, using NMR imaging, a constant current was applied to a lithium ion (Li ion) battery model. Here, 7Li spin-echo imaging was used to probe the spin density in the electrolyte and thus visualize the development of Li+ concentration gradients. The Li+ transport number and salt diffusivity were obtained within an electrochemical transport model. The parameters obtained were in good agreement with data for similar electrolytes. The use of an alternative imaging method based on CTI (Constant Time Imaging) was explored and implemented. / <p>QC 20140825</p>