title: Enhanced sensitivity to residual dipolar couplings of elastomers by higher-order multiple-quantum NMR.
abstract: The homonuclear and heteronuclear residual dipolar couplings in elastomers reflect changes in the cross-link density, temperature, the uniaxial and biaxial extension or compression as well as the presence of penetrant molecules. It is shown theoretically that for an isolated methyl group the relative changes in the intensity of the homonuclear double-quantum buildup curves in the initial time regime due to variation of the residual dipolar coupling strength is less sensitive than the changes in the triple-quantum filtered NMR signal when considering the same excitation/reconversion time. For a quadrupolar nucleus with spin I=2 the sensitivity enhancement was simulated for four-quantum, triple-quantum, and double-quantum buildup curves. In this case the four-quantum build-up curve shows the highest sensitivity to changes of spin couplings. This enhanced sensitivity to the residual dipolar couplings was tested experimentally by measuring 1H double-quantum, triple-quantum, and four-quantum buildup curves of differently cross-linked natural rubber samples. In the initial excitation/reconversion time regime, where the residual dipolar couplings can be measured model free, the relative changes in the intensity of the four-quantum buildup curves are about five times higher than those of the double-quantum coherences. For the first time proton four-quantum coherences were recorded for cross-linked elastomers.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Technische Chemie und Makromolekulare Chemie, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule, Worringerweg 1, D-52056 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fechete
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Demco
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Blümich
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D004548:Elasticity; D020724:Elastomers / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012408:Rubber / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted
chemical_list: D020724:Elastomers; D012408:Rubber