Solid-State NMR of Complex Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Materials

本研究主要致力于发展固体核磁共振方法，以氟和磷为探针研究有机-无机复合材料的结构和分子运动。合成CHOIM存在于替代能源(燃料电池、太阳能电池)和电池技术中，而天然CHOIM则以沥青和生物材料等复杂混合物的形式存在。CHOIM通常由软、硬和流体成分的各种组合组成，这些成分必须按原样进行研究，而不是孤立地研究，以便了解引起感兴趣的特性和行为的成分之间的相互作用。因此，它们是理想的SS核磁共振波谱表征。结构和动态SS核磁共振方法以及模拟工具的库将不断扩大，以满足新兴材料技术的复杂性带来的新挑战。位于莱斯布里奇的工厂是加拿大材料SS核磁共振设备最好的工厂之一，这是由于UofL对其材料化学研究能力进行了一系列战略投资，建立了最先进的合成和表征设施，从而形成了氟化学和材料表征专业中心的核心。感兴趣的材料包括：无机聚合物、含氟聚合物和嵌段共聚物的纳米复合材料。这些新的SS核磁共振方法还将用于对沥青进行化学指纹分析，这与传统的表征方法相混淆，以提供急需的结构和组成信息，以推进油砂行业的升级和提取过程。这一过程包括通过低水平的直接氟化引入19F作为探针。我的研究小组代表了加拿大唯一专注于有机-无机杂化材料SS核磁共振的研究机构。加拿大的存在促进了我们的材料科学界参与新的有机-无机混合技术的开发，从而受益于其在替代能源、电子、环境、化石燃料、医药和农业领域不断扩大的应用范围和随后的经济影响。

My research is primarily concerned with developing Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SSNMR) methods to study the structure and molecular motion of Complex Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Materials (CHOIM) using fluorine and phosphorous as probes. Synthetic CHOIMs are found in alternative energy (fuels cells, solar cells) and battery technologies, whereas natural CHOIMs exist as complex mixtures such as bitumen and biomaterials. CHOIMs are typically composed of various combinations of soft, hard and fluid components, which have to be studied as they are, not in isolation, in order to appreciate the interactions between components that give rise to the properties and behaviours of interest. As such, they are ideally characterized by SSNMR spectroscopy. The repertoire of structural and dynamic SSNMR methods, as well as simulations tools, will be continually expanded to meet new challenges posed by the complexity of emerging material technologies. The facility in Lethbridge is one of the best equipped in Canada for SSNMR of materials, resulting from a series of strategic investments by the UofL in its materials chemistry research capability, by building state-of-the-art synthetic and characterization facilities, thereby forming the core of a centre of expertise in fluorine chemistry and materials characterization. Materials of interest include: nanocomposites of inorganic polymers, fluoropolymers, and block copolymers. These new SSNMR methods will also be used to chemically fingerprint bitumen, which has confounded traditional characterization methods, to provide much needed structural and compositional information to advance upgrading and extraction processes for the oil sands industry. This process involves the introduction of 19F as a probe by low level direct fluorination. My research group represents the only Canadian research presence focused on SSNMR of hybrid organic-inorganic materials. A Canadian presence facilitates the participation of our materials science community in the development of new organic-inorganic hybrid technologies, thus benefiting from its ever widening range of applications and subsequent economic impact in the areas of alternative energy, electronics, environment, fossil fuels, medicine and agriculture.