We
describe a simple experimental method to detect electron paramagnetic
resonance (EPR) in polycrystalline 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)
sample, the standard g-marker for EPR spectroscopy,
without using a cavity resonator or a prefabricated waveguide. It
is shown that microwave (MW) current injected into a layer of silver
paint coated on an insulating DPPH sample is able to excite the paramagnetic
resonance in DPPH. As the applied dc magnetic field H is swept, the high-frequency resistance of the Ag-paint layer, measured
at room temperature with a single port impedance analyzer in the MW
frequency range f = 1–2.85 GHz, exhibits a
sharp peak at a critical value of the dc field (H = H
r) while the reactance exhibits a
dispersion-like behavior around the same field value for a given f. H
r increases linearly with f. We interpret the observed features in the impedance to
EPR in DPPH driven by the Oersted magnetic field arising from the
MW current in the Ag-paint layer. We also confirm the occurrence of
EPR in DPPH independently using a coplanar-waveguide-based broadband
technique in the frequency range of 2–4 GHz.