Application of continuously circulating flow of hyperpolarized (HP) 129Xe-NMR on mesoporous materials

Abstract

The continuously circulating flow of hyperpolarized (HP) ¹²⁹Xe NMR technique has been used to study the porous structure of ordered purely siliceous and Al-containing MCM-41 and SBA-15 mesoporous materials. In this paper, we report ¹²⁹Xe chemical shift measurements of xenon adsorbed on mesoporous materials having different porosities and surface composition. The use of hyperpolarized xenon allows us to measure spectra at very low xenon concentration where xenon reflects mainly the interaction between the adsorbed xenon atoms and the surface. The effect of compression on the mesopore structure has also been studied by HP ¹²⁹Xe NMR. The obtained NMR spectra are interpreted in terms of an exchange between adsorbed xenon in the pores and gazeous Xe atoms in the interparticle spaces. Variable temperature measurments allowed us to obtain information on the heat of adsorption of xenon on the surface and to evaluate the chemical shift of xenon in interaction with the surface.