A brand new electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometer goals to open the expertise to a bigger pool of scientists by making it cheaper, lighter, and simpler to make use of while not having an skilled operator. Its management software program—designed to be intuitive with a number of automated options—makes the set-up simple and doesn’t require an skilled in EPR spectroscopy to acquire outcomes.
EPR or electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy, whereas fairly just like nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, examines the character of unpaired electrons as an alternative of nuclei reminiscent of protons. It’s generally utilized in chemistry, biology, materials science, and physics to review the digital construction of steel complexes or natural radicals.
Determine 1 The brand new EPR spectrometer is modular in design and is smaller, lighter, and cheaper than conventional options. Supply: Spectrum Instrumentation
Nonetheless, EPR spectrometers are generally constructed round large electromagnets, to allow them to weigh over a ton and are normally positioned in basements. Bridge12, a startup positioned close to Boston, Massachusetts, claims to have produced an EPR spectrometer that’s about half the price of present devices and a tenth of the dimensions and weight in order that it may be positioned on any ground of a constructing (Determine 1).
The brand new EPR spectrometer is constructed round two primary constructing blocks: an arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) to generate the pulses and a digitizer to seize the returning sign. These constructing blocks are applied as playing cards provided by German agency Spectrum Instrumentation, making the design modular and versatile for finish customers.
First, an AWG generates 10 to 100-ns lengthy pulses within the 200 to 500 MHz vary as required by the experiment, that are then first up-converted to 10-GHz X band vary utilizing an RF I/Q mixer after which up-converted to the Q band vary. The microwave pulses are then fed right into a 100-W solid-state amplifier earlier than being despatched to the EPR resonator.
Subsequent, the mirrored sign is down-converted to an IF frequency within the 200 to 500 MHz vary and despatched to the digitizer. Not like the standard EPR spectroscopy, the place the sign is down-converted to DC, this new strategy drastically reduces noise and artifacts.
Determine 2 exhibits an instance of AWG-generated pulses utilized in an EPR experiment. See WURST (Wideband, Uniform Fee, Clean Truncation) pulses, that are broadband microwave pulses with an excitation bandwidth and profile that exceeds that of a easy rectangular pulse by far. These pulses facilitate broadband excitation in EPR spectroscopy whereas closely counting on the efficiency of the AWG.
Determine 2 The AWG-generated WURST pulses are displayed in an EPR spectroscopy experiment. Supply: Spectrum Instrumentation
The modular design of this EPR spectrometer constructed round AWG and digitizer playing cards is built-in into Netboxes, which could be linked to a PC by means of Ethernet. So, a compact PC can exchange a system that’s large enough to insert playing cards, which inevitably results in a cumbersome rack answer. Consequently, it’s a lot simpler to service EPR spectrometer and exchange elements within the discipline.
One other noteworthy design characteristic of this new EPR spectrometer pertains to the a lot smaller, super-conducting magnet to supply the required magnetic discipline power. EPR spectrometers normally use large, heavy electromagnets to generate intense magnetic fields within the order of 1 to 1.5 Tesla.
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