High-precision nuclear magnetic resonance probe suitable for in situ studies of high-temperature metallic melts

High-temperature nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) has proven to be very useful for detecting the temperatureinduced structural evolution and dynamics in melts.However,the sensitivity and precision of high-temperature NMR probes are limited.Here we report a sensitive and stable high-temperature NMR probe based on laser-heating,suitable for in situ studies of metallic melts,which can work stably at the temperature of up to 2000 K.In our design,a well-designed optical path and the use of a water-cooled copper radio-frequency(RF) coil significantly optimize the signal-to-noise ratio(S/NR) at high temperatures.Additionally,a precise temperature controlling system with an error of less than 士1 K has been designed.After temperature calibration,the temperature measurement error is controlled within±2 K.As a performance testing,27Al NMR spectra are measured in Zr-based metallic glass-forming liquid in situ.Results show that the S/NR reaches 45 within 90 s even when the sample’s temperature is up to 1500 K and that the isothermal signal drift is better than0.001 ppm per hour.This high-temperature NMR probe can be used to clarify some highly debated issues about metallic liquids,such as glass transition and liquid-liquid transition.