Removal of J-coupling peak distortion in PGSE experiments

Peak distortion caused by homonuclear J-coupling is a major problem that limits the utility of the pulsed-field gradient spin–echo (PGSE) method for studying translational diffusion. This unwanted effect can be removed by incorporation of anti-phase magnetization purging pulse elements at the end of the spin–echo sequence. Three methods, namely, trim-pulse, homospoil pulse gradient and chirp based z-filter were evaluated as potential candidates for an improved NMR diffusion method that is less sensitive to J-coupling peak distortion. The chirp based z-filter was found to be excellent in suppressing anti-phase magnetization while leaving the in-phase magnetization basically intact in spin–echo and stimulated-echo based experiments. The incorporation of chirp based z-filter into PGSE could allow diffusion analysis that would otherwise be impossible by conventional means.