Although fluorine-19 is the second most NMR-sensitive nucleus (after 1H) and 19F-containing materials are widely used for MR-based studies (NMR and MRI), fluoride-based nanocrystals (i.e., nanofluorides, MxFy) have not been studied in solution with high-resolution 19F-NMR and nor used in 19F-MRI.
Our lab is working on designing, developing and implementing nanofluorides as novel 19F-nanotracers for 19F-MR imaging. Moreover, we are taking advantage of the 19F-NMR characteristics of the nanofluoride core nuclei to explore and answer fundamental mechanistic questions in material science.