| Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) has proven to be a very valuable technique for the study of a variety of compounds and materials due to its chemical selectivity, non-destructive detection, and quantitative ability. However, due to low sensitivity and lack of surface selectivity, NMR has not been used a great deal for the study of surfaces and interfaces. This thesis discusses a method known as optical pumping magic angle spinning NMR using hyperpolarized xenon to examine surfaces. The optical pumping process is described as well as the uses of hyperpolarized xenon. Experiments detecting hyperpolarized xenon and transferring polarization of hyperpolarized xenon to surface nuclei are described. Two major methods of polarization transfer, Spin Polarization Induced Nuclear Overhauser Effect (SPINOE) and Cross-Polarization (CP), are described in detail and compared. More complex two-dimensional experiments are described. Finally, new instrumentation is developed to further enhance the polarization of xenon used in NMR experiments. |
