Hyperbranched polymers for molecular imaging: designing polymers for parahydrogen induced polarisation (PHIP)

The first hyperpolarisation of polymers using parahydrogen induced polarisation (PHIP) is reported by hydrogenation of terminal alkyne groups in a biocompatible hyperbranched polymer. Signal enhancements of 1500-fold could be obtained depending on the structure of the polymer, thus opening new potential avenues for polymeric molecular imaging.