Using heat to control the sample spinning speed in MAS NMR.

A new approach using temperature to control the spinning speed of a sample rotor in magic-angle spinning NMR is presented. Instead of an electro-mechanical valve that regulates the flow of drive gas to control the spinning speed in traditional MAS NMR systems, we use a small heater wire located directly in the stator. The sample spinning speed is controlled very accurately with a surprisingly low heating power of 1 W. Results on a benchtop unit demonstrate the capability of the system.