This week the U. S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Ames National Laboratory is hosting the first nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) symposium for researchers affiliated with DOE national laboratories.
The symposium, which is being held June 5-6 includes participation of scientists from ten DOE National Laboratories, one NNSA facility, and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.
Frederic Perras, Aaron Rossini, and Harris Mason, scientists from Ames National laboratory and Los Alamos National laboratory, identified the benefit for initiating inter-lab discussions in NMR research needs for energy-related science.
“Most national labs have nuclear magnetic resonance teams, and a lot of those groups don't tend to have very much of an outward facing appearance,” explained Perras. “We thought it would be a good idea to bring the national lab NMR community together to forge new collaborations between groups, to see how other National Labs are using NMR, and to learn from one another.”
NMR spectroscopy is a characterization tool that uses the magnetic properties of certain atomic nuclei to gain information about molecular structure and dynamics. The most well-known type of NMR is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which is widely used in the medical field, but the tool has many applications in scientific research. At National Laboratories, NMR techniques are actively developed for aiding in materials design, the development of new energy conversion chemistries, and in threat detection.
NMR spectroscopy works by exposing a sample of material to a strong magnetic field. This field causes the nuclei of atoms with magnetic moments to align. Radiofrequency irradiation is then used to elicit signals that are sensitive to local molecular structure and dynamics.
“In our group, we use NMR to visualize what's going on at the very small scale, at the atomic level,” said Perras. “We're interested in characterizing surfaces and interfaces of materials, with a particular emphasis on heterogeneous catalysis.”
Perras is looking forward to hosting the symposium and the potential collaborations that will come from the gathering. “I think that it is important to remain aware of the great science that is being done at our sister labs.” he said. “Generating opportunities to learn about and help surmount the challenges that we and our peers are facing throughout the DOE complex should accelerate the pace of science and the development of the technologies we will deliver to the nation.”
Ames National Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science National Laboratory operated by Iowa State University. Ames Laboratory creates innovative materials, technologies, and energy solutions. We use our expertise, unique capabilities, and interdisciplinary collaborations to solve global problems.
Ames National Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit https://energy.gov/science.