Spin Hyperpolarization in Modern Magnetic Resonance

Magnetic resonance techniques are successfully utilized in a broad range of scientific disciplines and in various practical applications, with medical magnetic resonance imaging being the most widely known example. Currently, both fundamental and applied magnetic resonance are enjoying a major boost owing to the rapidly developing field of spin hyperpolarization. Hyperpolarization techniques are able to enhance signal intensities in magnetic resonance by several orders of magnitude, and thus to largely overcome its major disadvantage of relatively low sensitivity. This provides new impetus for existing applications of magnetic resonance and opens the gates to exciting new possibilities. In this review, we provide a unified picture of the many methods and techniques that fall under the umbrella term "hyperpolarization" but are currently seldom perceived as integral parts of the same field. Specifically, before delving into the individual techniques, we provide a detailed analysis of the underlying principles of spin hyperpolarization. We attempt to uncover and classify the origins of hyperpolarization, to establish its sources and the specific mechanisms that enable the flow of polarization from a source to the target spins. We then give a more detailed analysis of individual hyperpolarization techniques: the mechanisms by which they work, fundamental and technical requirements, characteristic applications, unresolved issues, and possible future directions. We are seeing a continuous growth of activity in the field of spin hyperpolarization, and we expect the field to flourish as new and improved hyperpolarization techniques are implemented. Some key areas for development are in prolonging polarization lifetimes, making hyperpolarization techniques more generally applicable to chemical/biological systems, reducing the technical and equipment requirements, and creating more efficient excitation and detection schemes. We hope this review will facilitate the sharing of knowledge between subfields within the broad topic of hyperpolarization, to help overcome existing challenges in magnetic resonance and enable novel applications.

Functionalized Controlled Porous Glasses for Producing Radical-Free Hyperpolarized Liquids by Overhauser DNP

Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (ODNP) can be used as a tool for NMR signal enhancement and happens on very short time scales. Therefore, ODNP is well suited for the measurement of fast-flowing samples, even in compact magnets, which is beneficial for the real-time monitoring of chemical reactions or processes. ODNP requires the presence of unpaired electrons in the sample, which is usually accomplished by the addition of stable radicals. However, radicals affect the nuclear relaxation times and can hamper the NMR detection. This is circumvented by immobilizing radicals in a packed bed allowing for the measurement of radical-free samples when using ex situ DNP techniques (DNP build-up and NMR detection happen at different places) and flow-induced separation of the hyperpolarized liquid from the radicals. Therefore, the synthesis of robust and chemically inert immobilized radical matrices is mandatory. In the present work, this is accomplished by immobilizing the radical glycidyloxy-tetramethylpiperidinyloxyl with a polyethyleneimine (PEI) linker on the surface of controlled porous glasses (CPG). Both the porosity of the CPGs and also the size of the PEI-linker were varied, resulting in a set of distinct radical matrices for continuous-flow ODNP. The study shows that CPGs with PEI-linkers provide robust, inert and efficient ODNP matrices.

A triple resonance (e, 1H, 13C) probehead for liquid-state DNP experiments at 9.4 Tesla

In DNP experiments, NMR signal intensity is increased by transferring the much larger electron spin polarization to nuclear spins via microwave irradiation. Here we describe the design and performance of a probehead that makes it possible to perform Overhauser DNP experiments at ¹H and ¹³C in liquid samples with a volume of up to 100 nl. We demonstrate on a ¹³C-labeled sodium pyruvate sample in water that proton decoupling under DNP conditions is possible with this new triple-resonance DNP probehead. In addition, the heat dissipation from the sample has been greatly improved with our new probe design. This makes it possible to keep liquid samples at a constant temperature under irradiation with a high-frequency 263 GHz microwave gyrotron with a few watts of output power. This improved performance opens up the possibility to disentangle the role of sample temperature and applied microwave power for DNP efficiency in liquids and to obtain a quantitative determination of EPR saturation by observing the suppression of paramagnetic shift as a function of microwave power.

Dynamic Nuclear Polarization for Sensitivity Enhancement in Biomolecular Solid-State NMR

Solid-state NMR with magic-angle spinning (MAS) is an important method in structural biology. While NMR can provide invaluable information about local geometry on an atomic scale even for large biomolecular assemblies lacking long-range order, it is often limited by low sensitivity due to small nuclear spin polarization in thermal equilibrium. Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) has evolved during the last decades to become a powerful method capable of increasing this sensitivity by two to three orders of magnitude, thereby reducing the valuable experimental time from weeks or months to just hours or days; in many cases, this allows experiments that would be otherwise completely unfeasible. In this review, we give an overview of the developments that have opened the field for DNP-enhanced biomolecular solid-state NMR including state-of-the-art applications at fast MAS and high magnetic field. We present DNP mechanisms, polarizing agents, and sample constitution methods suitable for biomolecules. A wide field of biomolecular NMR applications is covered including membrane proteins, amyloid fibrils, large biomolecular assemblies, and biomaterials. Finally, we present perspectives and recent developments that may shape the field of biomolecular DNP in the future.

Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (ODNP)-enhanced two-dimensional proton NMR spectroscopy at low magnetic fields

The majority of low-field Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (ODNP) experiments reported so far have been 1D NMR experiments to study molecular dynamics and in particular hydration dynamics. In this work, we demonstrate the application of ODNP-enhanced 2D J-resolved (JRES) spectroscopy to improve spectral resolution beyond the limit imposed by the line broadening introduced by the paramagnetic polarizing agent. Using this approach, we are able to separate the overlapping multiplets of ethyl crotonate into a second dimension and clearly identify each chemical site individually. Crucial to these experiments is interleaved spectral referencing, a method introduced to compensate for temperature-induced field drifts over the course of the NMR acquisition. This method does not require additional hardware such as a field-frequency lock, which is especially challenging when designing compact systems.

Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (ODNP)-enhanced two-dimensional proton NMR spectroscopy at low magnetic fields

The majority of low-field Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (ODNP) experiments reported so far have been 1D NMR experiments to study molecular dynamics and in particular hydration dynamics. In this work, we demonstrate the application of ODNP-enhanced 2D J-resolved (JRES) spectroscopy to improve spectral resolution beyond the limit imposed by the line broadening introduced by the paramagnetic polarizing agent. Using this approach, we are able to separate the overlapping multiplets of ethyl crotonate into a second dimension and clearly identify each chemical site individually. Crucial to these experiments is interleaved spectral referencing, a method introduced to compensate for temperature-induced field drifts over the course of the NMR acquisition. This method does not require additional hardware such as a field-frequency lock, which is especially challenging when designing compact systems.

High-resolution Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization enhanced proton NMR spectroscopy at low magnetic fields

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) has gained large interest due to its ability to increase signal intensities in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments by several orders of magnitude. Currently, DNP is typically used to enhance high-field, solid-state NMR experiments. However, the method is also capable of dramatically increasing the observed signal intensities in solution-state NMR spectroscopy. In this work, we demonstrate the application of Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (ODNP) spectroscopy at an NMR frequency of 14.5 MHz (0.35 T) to observe DNP-enhanced high-resolution NMR spectra of small molecules in solutions. Using a compact hybrid magnet with integrated shim coils to improve the magnetic field homogeneity we are able to routinely obtain proton linewidths of less than 4 Hz and enhancement factors >30. The excellent field resolution allows us to perform chemical-shift resolved ODNP experiments on ethyl crotonate to observe proton J-coupling. Furthermore, recording high-resolution ODNP-enhanced NMR spectra of ethylene glycol allows us to characterize the microwave induced sample heating in-situ, by measuring the separation of the OH and CH2 proton peaks.

Motional Dynamics of Halogen-Bonded Complexes Probed by Low-Field NMR Relaxometry and Overhauser Dynamic Nuclear Polarization

Halogen bonding is a subject of considerable interest owing to wide-ranging chemical, materials and biological applications. The motional dynamics of halogen-bonded complexes play a pivotal role in comprehending the nature of the halogen-bonding interaction. However, not many attempts appear to have been made to shed light on the dynamical characteristics of halogen-bonded species. For the first time, we demonstrate here that the combination of low-field NMR relaxometry and Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (ODNP) makes it possible to obtain a cogent picture of the motional dynamics of halogen-bonded species. We discuss here the advantages of this combined approach. Low-field relaxometry allows us to infer the hydrodynamic radius and rotational correlation time, whereas ODNP probes the molecular translational correlation times (involving the substrate as well as the organic radical) with high sensitivity at low field.

A table-top PXI based low-field spectrometer for solution dynamic nuclear polarization

We present the development of a portable dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) instrument based on the PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation platform. The main purpose of the instrument is for study of ¹ H polarization enhancements in solution through the Overhauser mechanism at low magnetic fields. A DNP probe set was constructed for use at 6.7 mT, using a modified Alderman-Grant resonator at 241 MHz for saturation of the electron transition. The solenoid for detection of the enhanced ¹ H signal at 288 kHz was constructed with Litz wire. The largest observed ¹ H enhancements (ε) at 6.7 mT for ¹⁴ N-CTPO radical in air saturated aqueous solution was ε~65. A concentration dependence of the enhancement is observed, with maximum ε at 5.5 mM. A low resonator efficiency for saturation of the electron paramagnetic resonance transition results in a decrease in ε for the 10.3 mM sample. At high incident powers (42 W) and long pump times, capacitor heating effects can also decrease the enhancement. The core unit and program described here could be easily adopted for multi-frequency DNP work, depending on available main magnets and selection of the "plug and play" arbitrary waveform generator, digitizer, and radiofrequency synthesizer PCI eXtensions for Instrumentatione cards.

Continuous-flow DNP polarizer for MRI applications at 1.5 T

Here we describe a new hyperpolarization approach for magnetic resonance imaging applications at 1.5 T. Proton signal enhancements of more than 20 were achieved with a newly designed multimode microwave resonator situated inside the bore of the imager and used for Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization of the water proton signal. Different from other approaches in our setup the hyperpolarization is achieved continuously by liquid water flowing through the polarizer under continuous microwave excitation. With an available flow rate of up to 1.5 ml/min, which should be high enough for DNP MR angiography applications in small animals like mice and rats. The hyperpolarized liquid cooled to physiological temperature can be routed by a mechanical switch to a quartz capillary for injection into the blood vessels of the target object. This new approach allows hyperpolarization of protons without the need of an additional magnet and avoids the losses arising from the transfer of the hyperpolarized solution between magnets. The signal-to-noise improvement of this method is demonstrated on two- and three-dimensional phantoms of blood vessels.

Water accessibility in a membrane-inserting peptide comparing Overhauser DNP and pulse EPR methods

Water accessibility is a key parameter for the understanding of the structure of biomolecules, especially membrane proteins. Several experimental techniques based on the combination of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy with site-directed spin labeling are currently available. Among those, we compare relaxation time measurements and electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) experiments using pulse EPR with Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) at X-band frequency and a magnetic field of 0.33 T. Overhauser DNP transfers the electron spin polarization to nuclear spins via cross-relaxation. The change in the intensity of the (1)H NMR spectrum of H2O at a Larmor frequency of 14 MHz under a continuous-wave microwave irradiation of the nitroxide spin label contains information on the water accessibility of the labeled site. As a model system for a membrane protein, we use the hydrophobic α-helical peptide WALP23 in unilamellar liposomes of DOPC. Water accessibility measurements with all techniques are conducted for eight peptides with different spin label positions and low radical concentrations (10-20 μM). Consistently in all experiments, the water accessibility appears to be very low, even for labels positioned near the end of the helix. The best profile is obtained by Overhauser DNP, which is the only technique that succeeds in discriminating neighboring positions in WALP23. Since the concentration of the spin-labeled peptides varied, we normalized the DNP parameter ϵ, being the relative change of the NMR intensity, by the electron spin concentration, which was determined from a continuous-wave EPR spectrum.

Multi-Frequency Pulsed Overhauser DNP at 1.2 Tesla

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is a methodology to increase the sensitivity of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. It relies on the transfer of the electron spin polarization from a radical to coupled nuclear spins, driven by microwave excitation resonant with the electron spin transitions. In this work we explore the potential of pulsed multi-frequency microwave excitation in liquids. Here, the relevant DNP mechanism is the Overhauser effect. The experiments were performed with TEMPOL radicals in aqueous solution at room temperature using a Q-band frequency (1.2 T) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometer combined with a Minispec NMR spectrometer. A fast arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) enabled the generation of multi-frequency pulses used to either sequentially or simultaneously excite all three 14N-hyperfine lines of the nitroxide radical. The multi-frequency excitation resulted in a doubling of the observed DNP enhancements compared to single-frequency microwave excitation. Q-band free induction decay (FID) signals of TEMPOL were measured as a function of the excitation pulse length allowing the efficiency of the electron spin manipulation by the microwave pulses to be extracted. Based on this knowledge we could quantitatively model our pulsed DNP enhancements at 1.2 T by numerical solution of the Bloch equations, including electron spin relaxation and experimental parameters. Our results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions. Whereas for a narrow and homogeneous single EPR line continuous wave excitation leads to more efficient DNP enhancements compared to pulsed excitation for the same amount of averaged microwave power. The situation is different for radicals with several hyperfine lines or in the presence of inhomogeneous line broadening. In such cases pulsed single/multi-frequency excitation can lead to larger DNP enhancements.

Basic facts and perspectives of Overhauser DNP NMR

After the first surprisingly large (1)H DNP enhancements of the water signal in aqueous solutions of nitroxide radicals observed at high magnetic fields, Overhauser DNP is gaining increasing attention for a number of applications now flourishing, showing the potentialities of this mechanism in solution and solid state NMR as well as in MRI. Unexpected Overhauser DNP enhancements in insulating solids were recently measured at 100K, with a magnitude which increases with the applied magnetic field. We recapitulate here the theoretical premises of Overhauser DNP in solution and analyze the effects of the various parameters on the efficacy of the mechanism, underlining the link between the DNP enhancements and the field dependent relaxation properties. Promisingly, more effective DNP enhancements are expected by exploiting the potentialities offered by (13)C detection and the use of supercritical fluids.

Liquid state DNP at high magnetic fields: Instrumentation, experimental results and atomistic modelling by molecular dynamics simulations

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) at high magnetic fields has recently become one of the major research areas in magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging. Whereas much work has been devoted to experiments where the polarization transfer from the electron spin to the nuclear spin is performed in the solid state, only a few examples exist of experiments where the polarization transfer is performed in the liquid state. Here we describe such experiments at a magnetic field of 9.2 T, corresponding to a nuclear Larmor frequency of 400 MHz for proton spins and an excitation frequency of 263 GHz for the electron spins. The technical requirements to perform such experiments are discussed in the context of the double resonance structures that we have implemented. The experimental steps that allowed access to the enhancement factors for proton spins of several organic solvents with nitroxide radicals as polarizing agents are described. A computational scheme for calculating the coupling factors from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations is outlined and used to highlight the limitations of the classical models based on translational and rotational motion that are typically employed to quantify the observed coupling factors. The ability of MD simulations to predict enhancements for a variety of radicals and solvent molecules at any magnetic field strength should prove useful in optimizing experimental conditions for DNP in the liquid state.

Perspectives on DNP-enhanced NMR spectroscopy in solutions

More than 60 years after the seminal work of Albert Overhauser on dynamic nuclear polarization by dynamic cross relaxation of coupled electron-nuclear spin systems, the quest for sensitivity enhancement in NMR spectroscopy is as pressing as ever. In this contribution we will review the status and perspectives for dynamic nuclear polarization in the liquid state. An appealing approach seems to be the use of supercritical solvents that may allow an extension of the Overhauser mechanism towards common high magnetic fields. A complementary approach is the use of solid state DNP on frozen solutions, followed by a rapid dissolution or in-situ melting step and NMR detection with substantially enhanced polarization levels in the liquid state. We will review recent developments in the field and discuss perspectives for the near future.

Multiscale computational modeling of 13C DNP in liquids

Quantitative prediction of ¹³C DNP coupling factors is achieved for acetone in water and pure chloroform.

Optimization and prediction of the electron-nuclear dipolar and scalar interaction in 1H and 13C liquid state dynamic nuclear polarization

During the last 10-15 years, dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) has evolved as a powerful tool for hyperpolarization of NMR and MRI nuclides. However, it is not as well appreciated that solution-state dynamic nuclear polarization is a powerful approach to study intermolecular interactions in solution. For solutions and fluids, the 1H nuclide is usually dominated by an Overhauser dipolar enhancement and can be significantly increased by decreasing the correlation time (τc) of the substrate/nitroxide interaction by utilizing supercritical fluids (SF CO2). For molecules containing the ubiquitous 13C nuclide, the Overhauser enhancement is usually a profile of both scalar and dipolar interactions. For carbon atoms without an attached hydrogen, a dipolar enhancement usually dominates as we illustrate for sp2 hybridized carbons in the fullerenes, C60 and C70. However, the scalar interaction is dependent on a Fermi contact interaction which does not have the magnetic field dependence inherent in the dipolar interaction. For a comprehensive range of molecular systems we show that molecules that exhibit weakly acidic complexation interaction(s) with nitroxides provide corresponding large scalar enhancements. For the first time, we report that sp hybridized (H-C) alkyne systems, for example, the phenylacetylene-nitroxide system exhibit very large scalar dominated enhancements. Finally, we demonstrate for a wide range of molecular systems that the Fermi contact interaction can be computationally predicted via electron-nuclear hyperfine coupling and correlated with experimental 13C DNP enhancements.

Carbon and proton Overhauser DNP from MD simulations and ab initio calculations: TEMPOL in acetone

A computational analysis of the Overhauser effect is reported for the proton, methyl carbon, and carbonyl carbon nuclei of liquid acetone doped with the nitroxide radical TEMPOL. A practical methodology for calculating the dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) coupling factors by accounting for both dipole-dipole and Fermi-contact interactions is presented. The contribution to the dipolar spectral density function of nuclear spins that are not too far from TEMPOL is computed through classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, whereas the contribution of distant spins is included analytically. Fermi contacts are obtained by subjecting a few molecules from every MD snapshot to ab initio quantum mechanical calculations. Scalar interaction is found to be an essential part of the (13)C Overhauser DNP. While mostly detrimental to the carbonyl carbon of acetone it is predicted to result in large enhancements of the methyl carbon signal at magnetic fields of 9 T and beyond. In contrast, scalar coupling is shown to be negligible for the protons of acetone. The additional influence of proton polarization on the carbon DNP (three-spin effect) is also analyzed computationally. Its effect, however, is concluded to be practically insignificant for liquid acetone.

Overhauser Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Studies on Local Water Dynamics

Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (ODNP) is an emerging technique for quantifying translational water dynamics in the vicinity (<1 nm) of stable radicals that can be chemically attached to macromolecules of interest. This has led to many in-depth and enlightening studies of hydration water of biomolecules, revolving around the role of solvent dynamics in the structure and function of proteins, nucleic acids, and lipid bilayer membranes. Still to date, a complete and fully automated ODNP instrument is not commercialized. The purpose of this chapter is to share the technical know-how of the hardware, theory, measurement, and data analysis method needed to successfully utilize and disseminate the ODNP technique.

Molecular simulations for dynamic nuclear polarization in liquids: a case study of TEMPOL in acetone and DMSO

A computational strategy for calibrating, validating and analyzing molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to predict dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) coupling factors and relaxivities of proton spins is presented. Simulations of the polarizing agent TEMPOL in liquid acetone and DMSO are conducted at low (infinite dilution) and high (1 M) concentrations of the free radical. Because DNP coupling factors and relaxivities are sensitive to the time scales of the molecular motions, the MD simulations are calibrated to reproduce the bulk translational diffusion coefficients of the pure solvents. The simulations are then validated by comparing with experimental dielectric relaxation spectra, which report on the rotational dynamics of the molecular electric dipole moments. The analysis consists of calculating spectral density functions (SDFs) of the magnetic dipole-dipole interaction between the electron spin of TEMPOL and nuclear spins of the solvent protons. Here, MD simulations are used in combination with an analytically tractable model of molecular motion. While the former provide detailed information at relatively short spin-spin distances, the latter includes contributions at large separations, all the way to infinity. The relaxivities calculated from the SDFs of acetone and DMSO are in excellent agreement with experiments at 9.2 T. For DMSO we calculate a coupling factor in agreement with experiment while for acetone we predict a value that is larger by almost 50%, suggesting a possibility for experimental improvement.

High-field liquid state NMR hyperpolarization: a combined DNP/NMRD approach

Here we show how fast dynamics between radicals and solvent molecules in liquid solutions can be detected by comparison of coupling factors determined by nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion (NMRD) measurements and dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) enhancement measurements at high magnetic field (9.2 T). This is important for a theoretical understanding of the Overhauser DNP mechanism at high magnetic fields and thus for optimization of the DNP agent/target system for high resolution liquid state NMR applications. Mixtures of the solution of TEMPOL radicals in water, toluene, acetone and DMSO have been investigated. The results are compared to the classical hard-sphere model and molecular dynamic simulations. Our results clearly indicate that fast sub-ps dynamics, which are not related to classical rotational or translational motion of the molecules, significantly contribute to the Overhauser DNP mechanism at high magnetic fields.

Dynamic nuclear polarization-enhanced NMR on aligned lipid bilayers at ambient temperature

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP)-enhanced solid-state NMR spectroscopy has been shown to hold great potential for functional studies of membrane proteins at low temperatures due to its great sensitivity improvement. There are, however, numerous applications for which experiments at ambient temperature are desirable and which would also benefit from DNP signal enhancement. Here, we demonstrate as a proof of concept that a significant signal increase for lipid bilayers under room-temperature conditions can be achieved by utilizing the Overhauser effect. Experiments were carried out on aligned bilayers at 400 MHz/263 GHz using a stripline structure combined with a Fabry-Perot microwave resonator. A signal enhancement of protons of up to -10 was observed. Our results demonstrate that Overhauser DNP at high field provides efficient polarization transfer within insoluble samples, which is driven by fast local molecular fluctuations. Furthermore, our experimental setup offers an attractive option for DNP-enhanced solid-state NMR on ordered membranes and provides a general perspective toward DNP at ambient temperatures.

High DNP efficiency of TEMPONE radicals in liquid toluene at low concentrations

Dynamic nuclear polarization in liquid toluene with TEMPONE radicals leads to high NMR signal enhancements at low polarizer concentrations.