Novel Hyperpolarized Spin Sensors for Rotation and In-situ and Interfacial Chemistry
Abstract
An unmet need for methods which non-invasively probe chemistry and materials with nanoscale spatial resolution and chemical specificity impacts numerous fields relevant to United States Air Force and Space Force technology objectives. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has qualities well-suited to this need, but NMR is currently feasible only for macroscopic samples due to sensitivity and instrumentation limitations. This proposal aims to innovate novel quantum sensing technologies deployable in-situ for rapid relayed NMR spectroscopy of nanoscale analyte volumes at high chemical resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio. These schemes rely upon the excellent coherence and sensitivity of hyperpolarized nuclear spins systems in diamond attained through quantum sensing and control techniques pioneered by PI Ajoy. We will first implement this sensing method in diamond as a scanning microscope tip for surface investigations, and then in inexpensive diamond powders for deployment inside microfluidic droplets. We will then extend the underlying techniques to perform sensing via nuclei in optically polarizable organic molecules in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). In the proposed project, we will use these deployment modalities to perform surface NMR imaging of 2D intercalated materials, monitoring of an imine synthesis reaction in microfluidic droplets, and measurement of adsorbate motion through MOFs. This lays the groundwork to investigate other pressing scientific questions using our sensors, and will establish a framework for sub-micron resolution, chemically resolved measurement in diverse contexts. The techniques developed in this project will also have technological applications with immediate Air Force and Space Force relevance- as one example, we aim to demonstrate gyroscopic sensors based on these hyperpolarized spin systems with advantages over the current state of the art.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 29, 2024
- Source ID
- FA95502310106
Entities
People
- Ashok Ajoy
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of California Regents