Development of NMR and Education for Extreme Conditions: Low Temperature, High Field and Field Gradients

Northwestern University, Evanston IL

Investigators

Abstract

0076454 Halperin This award from the Instrumentation for Materials Research Program will allow Northwestern University to construct a state-of-the-art nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) facility that specializes in frontier technology for ultra-high magnetic fields, ultra-high magnetic field gradients, and ultra-low temperatures. The facility will have a strong educational aspect, preparing students, both graduate and undergraduate, for use of advanced instrumentation in the Northwestern University ultra-low temperature laboratories and at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL). Nine senior investigators, including the PI, will participate and benefit from it, including university faculty at Northwestern University, two industrial laboratories, and a national laboratory. A facility for magnetic resonance (NMR) will be constructed including a 9 T magnet and dilution refrigerator capability at Northwestern University to study properties of materials over a wide range of temperature, down to low temperatures. This facility provides the entre to ultra-high field and ultra-low temperature experiments. Probes will be developed to extend the magnetic field scale to as high as 44 T at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in their new hybrid and other resistive magnets. The instrument will be available to students and NHMFL Experimental apparatus for ultra-low temperature NMR measurements will be designed and implemented in the Northwestern Ultra Low Temperature Laboratories. This new capability will enable the study of a wide range of topics such as high temperature superconductivity, diffusion in zeolites and polyelectrolytes, Li-batteries and for zeolites and other heterogeneous catalysts. The problem of chloride ion diffusion in cementitious materials will also be investigated with the improved sensitivity to diffusion using high gradient strength NMR techniques. Northwestern University will construct a state-of-the-art nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) facility that specializes in frontier technology, and will extend the domain of sensitivity and resolution to unprecedented high levels using combinations of ultra-high magnetic fields, ultra-high magnetic field gradients and ultra-low temperatures. The facility has a strong educational aspect, preparing students, both graduate and undergraduate, for use of advanced instrumentation in the PI's ultra-low temperature laboratories and at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL). There are nine senior scientist-investigators, including the PI, who will participate in the near term functioning of this facility and benefit from it, including university faculty at Northwestern University, two industrial laboratories, and a national laboratory.