Accepted For:________________________________

The internal structure of the neutron is of current interest in the field of nuclear physics. Presently, experiments at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility explore the nature of the neutron using polarized 3He target cells. The College of William and Mary now has the capability to produce polarized 3He cells and characterize them using a nuclear magnetic resonance system. To effectively study the neutron, the 3He in the target cell must achieve a high degree of polarization and remain polarized for a long period of time. Currently, target cells are made of aluminosilicate glass, which has the desired property of preventing the depolarization of 3He nuclei. However, aluminosilicate glass is difficult to work with and costly. Ideally, a cheaper and more manageable type of glass, such as Pyrex, could be coated to create a better surface and thus increase the lifetime of the polarized 3He. The purpose of this honors thesis is to test sol-gel coating techniques on target cells and measure the resulting lifetimes achieved. Our ultimate goal is to produce highly polarized cells with long lifetimes for use as targets in experiments at Jefferson Lab