Pulsed second order field NMR for real time PGSE and single-shot surface to volume ratio measurements

Abstract

Pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance provides a powerful tool for the measurement of particle diffusion and mobility. When these particles are contained in a porous medium, the diffusive process is influenced by the pore boundaries, and their effect on diffusion measurements provides information about the pore space. The acquisition of the apparent diffusion coefficient and its dependence on time, in the short time limit, reveals the surface to volume ratio of the porous medium, and in the long time limit, its tortuosity. With conventional pulsed field gradient techniques, processes where pore boundaries are evolving on the sub-second time scale cannot be resolved. Using pulsed second order magnetic fields in conjunction with one-dimensional imaging and the pulse sequence Difftrain, this paper presents a proof of concept for the first ever real time single-shot surface to volume NMR measurement.