Models of liquid-sample confinement for nanoscale NMR
Phys. Rev. Applied 26, 034018 – Published 9 September, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/7hbs-1q24
Abstract
Diffusion is a prominent source of noise affecting nuclear magnetic resonance at the nanometer scale (nano-NMR), preventing high-resolution studies of unpolarized liquid samples and hindering the development of nanofluid devices. Actively managing diffusion noise through sample confinement is likely to unveil alternative noise sources that have so far been disregarded, as they occur in longer timescales and consequently are masked by diffusion. These secondary noise sources could diminish the advantages provided by sample confinement, but they may also yield valuable information about the behavior of the fluid sample and its interactions with the confinement device. In this article, we study in detail two previously unaccounted noise models for confined nano-NMR, namely, surface interactions and porosity, and discuss their implications for typical nano-NMR experiments.
