NMR SERVICE

High-temperature operando NMR Probe

ZIM cooperation project (KK5554801JP3) 2023- 2026
with Eike Brunner (Dresden)

Operando measurements allow non-invasive, time-resolved insight into battery charge cycles. Especially solid state batteries and high temperature stable ionic liquids are of interest, but require high operating temperatures up to 300°C. These temperatures are currently at the limit of hardware capabilities of superconducting NMR magnets, which are operated at -270°C. Although the magnets are thermally insulated from the probe, local overheating due to heated probes can lead to damage or destruction of the superconducting coils. Additionally, there are currently no probe interfaces available, where an elechtrochemical cell can be included and kept at a stable temperature. The present project should solve these problems and focuses at four key development directions:

building of a high-temperature operando NMR probe, including a control unit
thermal insulation of the probe space @ 300°C from the magnet bore @ 21°C
connection and operation of high-temperature cells up to 300°C
development and monitoring of high-temperature cells for novel battiers

TecRad

A collaboration with the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V. (HZDR)

"TecRad - Wechselwirkung von Technetium mit Mikroorganismen, Metaboliten und an Mineral-Wasser Grenzflächen - Radioökologische Betrachtungen" aims at combining electrochemical measurements with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in order to investigate redox reactions in solutions. This combination will allow to research redox processes at the boundaries of pollutants, focusing on technetium containing compounds. The results will be used to develop models for end-storage of techentium containing pollutants. Note, project funding by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMBF, grant no. 02NUK082; collaboration contact Natalia Mayordomo Herranz.

LED control unit

Thüringer Aufbaubank (TAB) 2021 - 2023

We are developing and integrating the software for a LED control unit. The unit will be used in high resolution NMR spectroscopy of optoelectronic materials and energy storage materials.

ROBATT - robot assisted probe for battery research

A collaboration with the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V. (HZDR)

CNC fabrication of operando NMR probes

Thüringer Aufbaubank (TAB) 2019 - 2020

Assist the production of innovative measurements techniques via adapted CNC fabrication. Production of special NMR probes for operando NMR measurements under extreme conditions.

Conical rotor NMR probe for permanent magnets

ZIM cooperation project (ZF 4590701SL8) 2019 - 2021
with Jörn Schmedt auf der Günne (Siegen)

NMR spectrometer are widely used in chemistry and consist of magnet, sned/receive unit and probe head. The latter contains the sample. The probe head design depends on the resonance frequency of the nuclei, the probe state (solid/liquid) and the measurement method. It is a critical component of the spectrometer and its performance. In recent years a large market with about half a dozen different providers for 1.4 T to 2.0 T permanent magnet, liquid state spectrometers emerged next to high-field NMR setups with superconducting magnets. Permanent magnet setups have low space requirements (table top solutions), low operating costs (no liquid nitrogen/helium cooling), and are generally cheaper. This project aims at the development of permanent magnet probe heads for solid state NMR. Currently no company is able to provide such probe heads, because the required space for probe heads for static and rotating powders is not given inside a permanent magnet.

Next level chracterization of Li- and Na-ion batteries

Horizon 2020 (European Comission) 2015 - 2016
Oliver Pecher with Clare P. Grey (Cambridge, UK)

Development of next-level real-time characterisation techniques of Li- and Na-ion batteries through the usage of an automatic tuning-matching cycler with an integrated goniometer.

Modular solid state NMR probe head

ZIM cooperation project (KF2457504UW1) 2011 - 2016
with Jörn Schmedt auf der Günne (München/Siegen)

This project aims at the development of a prototype two channel MAS NMR probe head for a solid state NMR spectrometer, which is widely used in chemical analysis. Different to conventional probe heads, the prototype will be modular and will have an external impedance and frequency regulation, which will have the following benefits for users:

due to the small space requirements in the magnet, high pulse powers and a large temperature range will be available
because of the external frequency and impedance regulation this probe head will be available for widely used narrow bore magnets, without sacrificing specifications
outside the magnet a computer controlled impedance and frequency regulation can be implemented
a special benefit is the re-usability of high-quality components for different probes. This cuts costs for additional probe heads roughly in half.

METASTEM: Metabolite profiling in stem cell niches via NMR

Project part: development of a NMR probe head
Project ID: BMBF 031 3833 C (2006-2009)

The METASTEM joint project includes the 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy based quantitative metabolomic characterisation and the mathemathical modeling of stem cell niches of hematopoietic stem cells.
The aim for our project part was the development and construction of two 750 MHz 1H/13C NMR probe heads based on MEMS varactors and microcoils, which were developed in the microtechnology project part.
These probe heads were used for NMR measurements on biological samples in the NMR spectroscopy project part.

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