Equipment
A 9.4 T Bruker Biospec research MRI system with the 210 mm horizontal bore magnet with actively shielded gradient coils of 120 mm ID and 60 mm ID was installed in 2011, as a first of such MRI system in Poland. It is equipped with a number of specialized probeheads (1H, 31P, 19F and 13C) for interdisciplinary biomedical MRI and MRS in vivo animal studies performed on mice, rats and opossum. In addition, Bruker CryoProbe™ is available for high SNR mouse brain studies. Animal monitoring and control system allows for easy and comfortable experimental work. In addition to in vivo studies, the system is used for the high resolution imaging of fixed ex vivo animals, their organs and tissue (virtual histology), as well as for material studies including degradation of biopolymers and hydration of the pharmaceutical dosage forms.
A 4.7 T research MRI system with the 310 mm horizontal bore magnet with actively shielded gradient coils of 200 mm ID (Magnex Scientific Ltd.), 90 mm ID (Resonance Research) and home built 60 mm ID, from the installation in 2000 and subsequent upgrading in the following years was the only such MRI system in Poland, used for over a decade for biomedical in vivo studies. It is equipped with a number of specialized home built probeheads for 1H, 31P and 19F MRI and MRS, including the one integrated with flow through cell allowing for hydration studies of a pharmaceutical dosage forms at controlled flow, temperature and pH. Integrated ergometer can be used for study of the effects of physical exercises on human skeletal muscles. Presently, the system is used mostly for material research including pharmaceutical dosage forms hydration, polymer biodegradation and oil-rich rocks characterization as well as development of new MRI techniques (e.g. Single Point Imaging). In 2022, the tomograph was taken out of use.
A 7T pulsed magnetic resonance spectrometer with Tecmag APOLLO spectrometric console. Two broadband channels (5 – 450 MHz), a digital receiver with a 14-bit ADC converter and a digital filter, pulse sequence programmer with a resolution of 100 ns, NTNMR software. AMT’s M3426 broadband high-frequency power amplifier delivering 1 kW power in the range of 30 – 120 MHz. Usoft PA300 high-frequency narrowband power amplifier with 1kW power at 300 MHz. 7 T MAGNEX superconducting magnet with the 89 mm bore, 0.2ppm homogeneity in a sphere with a diameter of 5 mm. Liquid helium and nitrogen consumption 65 l / 100 days and 50 l / 10 days, respectively. CF 1230 flow cryostat, by Oxford Instruments, with the ITC503 controller with the sample temperature stabilization in the range of 4 – 300 K, with an accuracy of ± 0.1 K. Probe with a goniometer for measuring deuteron spectra of monocrystal and powder samples in the temperature range of 4.2 – 300 K. Bruker HP-WB 73A CP/MAS probe with two-channels. X channel: 44 – 122 MHz (2H – 31P), 1H channel: 300 MHz, maximum spin frequency 15 kHz.
Possible applications: Study of molecular dynamics in crystals by means of deuteron spectroscopy and relaxation methods in a wide temperature range, from 4.2 K to 300 K. Study of high-resolution NMR spectra in solids, using the spinning sample technique (MAS-NMR). The spectra of the nuclei of 29Si, 27Al, 23Na, 9Be, 11B, 79Ga, 51V and 31P are most frequently studied.
