Recent Advances in Magic Angle Spinning-Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Methodology

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is a method to boost the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal and thus alleviate the main limitation of NMR spectroscopy-its low sensitivity. One particularly successful methodology is the combination of DNP with magic angle spinning (MAS). MAS-DNP enables orders of magnitude signal enhancements in solid-state NMR experiments. The success of modern MAS-DNP stems from a combination of multiple developments in hardware, polarization agents design, sample preparation, theoretical understanding, and experimental methodology. Altogether these developments have allowed numerous breakthrough applications in biology and materials science. Despite its proven successes, ongoing research aims to further optimize hardware and polarization agent chemistry. Recent advances in MAS-DNP methodology that will allow unprecedented sensitivity in novel future applications are reviewed in this manuscript.