3D-Printed Xe-129 Hyperpolarizer: Second-Generation Technology

Following the advances of the first-generation Xenon-129 hyperpolarizer, the technology behind our device was additionally refined. This has led to the development of the second-generation Xe-129 hyperpolarization equipment at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The second-generation device enjoyed a significantly greater degree of integration and automation. For example, the use of 3D printing technology allowed the scientists to integrate several key components required for the efficient process of Spin-Exchange Optical Pumping in the optical pumping oven frame: NMR sensor (for in situ sensing of Xe-129 hyperpolarization quality), IR sensor (for in situ sensing of the laser light absorption by the Rubidium electrons), 3-inch optical window and retro-reflection mirror, advanced cooling/heating solution using TEC cooling. Moreover, this advanced and highly integrated oven was printed in ~52 h. The technical advances made in the second-generation equipment ultimately manifested in further improvement of the hyperpolarizer performance: i.e. greater Xe-129 polarization levels at ever-denser xenon:nitrogen mixture compositions. These advances were published in the Journal of The American Chemical Society, the top multi-disciplinary chemistry journal, in 2014. Read the details in the article PDF available in the open access at the American Chemical Society web site: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/ja412093d