Dynamic Nuclear Polarization in Silicon Microparticles

We report record high Si-29 spin polarization obtained using dynamic nuclear polarization in microcrystalline silicon powder. Unpaired electrons in this silicon powder are due to dangling bonds in the amorphous region of this intrinsically heterogeneous sample. Si-29 nuclei in the amorphous region become polarized by forced electron-nuclear spin flips driven by off-resonant microwave radiation while nuclei in the crystalline region are polarized by spin diffusion across crystalline boundaries. Hyperpolarized silicon microparticles have long T1 relaxation times and could be used as tracers for magnetic resonance imaging.