Diffusion exchange NMR spectroscopy in inhomogeneous magnetic fields

Two-dimensional diffusion exchange experiments in the presence of a strong, static magnetic field gradient are presented. The experiments are performed in the stray field of a single sided NMR sensor with a proton Larmor frequency of 11.7 MHz. As a consequence of the strong and static magnetic field gradient the magnetization has contributions from different coherence pathways. In order to select the desired coherence pathways, a suitable phase cycling scheme is introduced. The pulse sequence is applied to study diffusion as well as the molecular exchange properties of organic solvents embedded in a mesoporous matrix consisting of a sieve of zeolites with a pore size of 0.8 nm and grain size of 2 μm. This pulse sequence extends the possibilities of the study of transport properties in porous media, with satisfying sensitivity in measurement times of a few hours, in a new generation of relatively inexpensive low-field NMR mobile devices.