Bruckmaier Fleming, Allert Robin D, Neuling Nick R, Amrein Philipp, Littin Sebastian, Briegel Karl D, Schätzle Philip, Knittel Peter, Zaitsev Maxim, Bucher Dominik B
Department of Chemistry, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany.
Division of Medical Physics, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Sci Adv. 2023 Aug 18;9(33):eadh3484. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adh3484.
Understanding diffusion in microstructures plays a crucial role in many scientific fields, including neuroscience, medicine, or energy research. While magnetic resonance (MR) methods are the gold standard for diffusion measurements, spatial encoding in MR imaging has limitations. Here, we introduce nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center-based nuclear MR (NMR) spectroscopy as a powerful tool to probe diffusion within microscopic sample volumes. We have developed an experimental scheme that combines pulsed gradient spin echo (PGSE) with optically detected NV-NMR spectroscopy, allowing local quantification of molecular diffusion and flow. We demonstrate correlated optical imaging with spatially resolved PGSE NV-NMR experiments probing anisotropic water diffusion within an individual model microstructure. Our optically detected PGSE NV-NMR technique opens up prospects for extending the current capabilities of investigating diffusion processes with the future potential of probing single cells, tissue microstructures, or ion mobility in thin film materials for battery applications.
理解微观结构中的扩散在许多科学领域中都起着至关重要的作用，包括神经科学、医学或能源研究。虽然磁共振（MR）方法是扩散测量的金标准，但MR成像中的空间编码存在局限性。在这里，我们引入基于氮空位（NV）中心的核磁共振（NMR）光谱作为探测微观样品体积内扩散的强大工具。我们开发了一种实验方案，将脉冲梯度自旋回波（PGSE）与光学检测的NV-NMR光谱相结合，实现分子扩散和流动的局部定量。我们通过空间分辨的PGSE NV-NMR实验展示了相关光学成像，该实验探测了单个模型微观结构内各向异性的水扩散。我们的光学检测PGSE NV-NMR技术为扩展当前研究扩散过程的能力开辟了前景，未来有可能探测单细胞、组织微观结构或用于电池应用的薄膜材料中的离子迁移率。
