Investigation of 15N-SABRE hyperpolarization at high pressures and in supercritical fluids

Abstract

Signal Amplification By Reversible Exchange (SABRE) is a parahydrogen-based hyperpolarization technique that can generate orders-of-magnitude larger signals than thermal spin polarization within a minute. However, this method is limited by the availability of parahydrogen to the solution. Previous work demonstrated SABRE-derived ¹H hyperpolarization at pressures up to 200 bar and using liquid carbon dioxide as a solvent. Here, we extend this work to demonstrate heteronuclear (¹⁵N) SABRE hyperpolarization using conventional solvents with hydrogen pressures up to 400 bar as well as the possibility of using supercritical CO₂ as the solvent. We demonstrate that in both modes, ¹⁵N hyperpolarization comparable to SABRE-SHEATH may be achieved, providing a route for future optimization efforts as well as scale-up. We also present first steps towards exploring SABRE hyperpolarization of ¹²⁹Xe.