Strong gradients for spatially resolved diffusion measurements

A new multilayer approach to gradient coil design, which allows the production of very strong gradient coils with reasonable resistance and consequent power dissipation, has been developed. Using this approach we have designed and built a strong z-gradient coil that will accommodate vertically mounted samples contained in 5-mm nuclear magnetic resonance tubes. The coil has an efficiency of 1.73 Tm−1A−1, an inductance of 49 μH, and a resistance of 1.8 Ω, with a homogeneous volume consisting of a central cylinder of 4.5-mm length and diameter. This coil has been used to monitor the diffusion of water in Nylon 6.6 at room temperature, during desorption. This system is difficult to monitor via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), because the diffusion coefficients are typically less than 10−13 m2s−1, while the T2 relaxation time is less than 1 ms even when the sample is fully saturated. The resulting measurements show a strong concentration dependence of the T2 relaxation time and self-diffusion coefficient of the absorbed water. The measured concentration profiles are consistent with a Fickian diffusion process with a concentration-dependent diffusion coefficient. The measured self-diffusion values are in reasonable agreement with those inferred from the variation of the concentration profiles as a function of time, using the one-dimensional Fickian diffusion equation.