Research Group Münnemann: Hyperpolarisation for NMR signal-enhancement

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and related techniques have become indispensable tools with innumerable applications in physics, chemistry, biology and medicine. It is widely used for structural analysis, tracking of contrast agents, and medical diagnosis employing imaging or spectroscopy.
One of the main obstacles in NMR is its notorious lack of sensitivity, which is due to the low equilibrium polarization of nuclear spins at ambient temperature. However, we can increase the signals by  orders of magnitude by different hyperpolarization methods (HP).

Our current work focusses on the following hyperpolarization methods:

1. Hyperpolarization of liquids using Overhauser Dynamic Nuclear Polarization, enabling hyperpolarization of a wide range of molecules and nuclei.
   
   
2. Hyperpolarization of liquids using Parahydrogen Induced Polarization, offering  high enhancement factors and long term storage of the hyperpolarization.