Paramagnetic Metal-Ion Dopants as Polarization Agents for Dynamic Nuclear Polarization NMR Spectroscopy in Inorganic Solids

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), a technique in which the high electron spin polarization is transferred to surrounding nuclei via microwave irradiation, equips solid-state NMR spectroscopy with unprecedented sensitivity. The most commonly used polarization agents for DNP are nitroxide radicals. However, their applicability to inorganic materials is mostly limited to surface detection. Paramagnetic metal ions were recently introduced as alternatives for nitroxides. Doping inorganic solids with paramagnetic ions can be used to tune material properties and introduces endogenous DNP agents that can potentially provide sensitivity in the particles' bulk and surface. Here we demonstrate the approach by doping Li4Ti5O12 (LTO), an anode material for lithium ion batteries, with paramagnetic ions. By incorporating Gd(III) and Mn(II) in LTO we gain up to 14 fold increase in signal intensity in static Li-7 DNP-NMR experiments. These results suggest that doping with paramagnetic ions provides an efficient route for sensitivity enhancement in the bulk of micron size particles.