Hyperpolarized nuclear magnetic resonance and lab-on-a-chip microfluidics are two dynamic, but until recently quite distinct, fields of research. Recent developments in both areas increased their synergistic overlap. By microfluidic integration, many complex experimental steps can be brought together onto a single platform. Microfluidic devices are therefore increasingly finding applications in medical diagnostics, forensic analysis, and biomedical research. In particular, they provide novel and powerful ways to culture cells, cell aggregates, and even functional models of entire organs. Nuclear magnetic resonance is a non-invasive, high-resolution spectroscopic technique which allows real-time process monitoring with chemical specificity. It is ideally suited for observing metabolic and other biological and chemical processes in microfluidic systems. However, its intrinsically low sensitivity has limited its application. Recent advances in nuclear hyperpolarization techniques may change this: under special circumstances, it is possible to enhance NMR signals by up to 5 orders of magnitude, which dramatically extends the utility of NMR in the context of microfluidic systems. At the same time, hyperpolarization requires complex chemical and/or physical manipulations, which in turn may benefit from microfluidic implementation. In fact, many hyperpolarization methodologies rely on processes that are more efficient at the micro-scale, such as molecular diffusion, penetration electromagnetic radiation into the sample, or restricted molecular mobility on a surface. In this review we examine the confluence between the fields of hyperpolarization-enhanced NMR and microfluidics, and assess how these areas of research have mutually benefited one another, and will continue to do so.

超极化核磁共振和芯片实验室微流体是两个动态的，但直到最近才完全不同的研究领域。这两个领域的最新发展增加了它们的协同重叠。通过微流体集成，可以将许多复杂的实验步骤集中到一个平台上。因此，微流体设备越来越多地应用于医学诊断、法医分析和生物医学研究。特别是，它们为培养细胞、细胞聚集体甚至整个器官的功能模型提供了新颖而强大的方法。核磁共振是一种非侵入性、高分辨率的光谱技术，可实现具有化学特异性的实时过程监测。它非常适合观察微流体系统中的代谢和其他生物和化学过程。然而，其固有的低灵敏度限制了其应用。核超极化技术的最新进展可能会改变这一点：在特殊情况下，可以将 NMR 信号增强多达 5 个数量级，这极大地扩展了 NMR 在微流体系统中的应用。同时，超极化需要复杂的化学和/或物理操作，这反过来可能会受益于微流体的实施。事实上，许多超极化方法依赖于在微观尺度上更有效的过程，例如分子扩散、将电磁辐射渗透到样品中或表面上的受限分子移动性。