Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) enables to quantify the hydrogen nuclei in a sample and thus indirectly the water content. Here, hydrogen nuclei are put in oscillation (resonance) by applying a magnetic field and additional irradiation with pulsed electromagnetic waves of certain frequencies. In case all hydrogen nuclei of a sample are exclusively bound in water molecules, the resulting initial amplitude of the detected NMR signal is directly proportional to the water content. The subsequent attenuation of the oscillation is caused by relaxation mechanisms and provides information on the mobility and thus the binding states of the hydrogen nuclei. Therefore even the pore size distribution can be determined in completely water-saturated samples. If the magnetic field is graded, images can be created based on spatially resolved nuclei density distributions (MRI). Depending on the research objective, tailored choice of equipment and settings can be used to qualitatively and mostly quantitatively analyze almost every moisture-related problem. The article gives an overview of the existing NMR methods, equipment, influencing parameters, calibration techniques, applications and limitations.