Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of highly compressed fluids

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has been used to investigate the translational and rotational motions of molecules in supercritical fluid and model lubricant systems. NMR has also been used to study molecular conformations and cross relaxation in the model lubricant 2-ethylhexyl benzoate. In each of the studies, the ability to use pressure as an experimental variable proved valuable to the successful completion of the experiment. In the supercritical fluid study, high-pressure techniques were necessary in order to achieve the supercritical state. The high-pressure capability also allowed transport and relaxation in the model lubricants to be studied over viscosity ranges of nearly five orders of magnitude. Finally, conformational information and proton-proton cross relaxation rates in 2-ethylhexyl benzoate were obtained by the NOESY method, which works well when the rate of molecular motion is very slow. Applying pressure to the model lubricant slowed down the molecular motion to the point where the NOESY experiment could be performed.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio