| Discover an article published in Techniques de l’Ingénieur by researchers from Laboratoire de Physique des Solides and get ready to dive into an educational exploration of Pulsed Field Gradient Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (PFG-NMR) and its amazing applications in the field of Soft Matter. |
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is an amazing spectroscopy that provides invaluable information on the structure and dynamics of molecules. The development of NMR techniques using magnetic field gradients provides additional spatial information, particularly through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the measurement of translational molecular mobility (diffusion coefficients). These non-destructive measurements allow us to explore matter in a vast range of physico-chemical conditions (temperature, pressure, humidity, gaseous atmosphere, etc.).
In this article, the experts in this technique at the Laboratoire de Physique des Solides and their collaborators present in an accessible way a development of Pulsed Field Gradient NMR (PFG-NMR) and outline the possibilities it offers in the field of soft matter and nanomaterials. First, the principles of PFG-NMR spectroscopy are described, highlighting the specific contribution of the field gradients used to encode the magnetic field map. Second, the use of these data in the context of Soft Matter is detailed. In solution, this technique can be used to determine the mass or size of molecular entities (molecules, ions, polymers, complexes, colloids, etc.). In divided matter, translational mobility measurements probe the geometry of confining spaces and the interactions between confined molecules and the confining space.
The possibilities for these measurements are endless! They can be used in a wide range of fields, including catalysis, energy materials, filtration materials, soft and biological matter, biomaterials, swelling polymers or membranes, confined systems, oriented phases, geology or pedology, and more.
Figure 2 : Two examples of the use of self-diffusion coefficient measurements in the “nanoscale” domain: a) Determination of the hydrodynamic diameter of ligand-stabilized CdSe nanoparticles ; b) Porous media: Influence of diffusion time and geometry
of the confining medium on the space probed by a molecule
Collaboration
Team Matière et Rayonnement – Matrix – LPS
Team Corrélations électroniques et hautes pressions – HP – LPS
Laboratoire Léon Brillouin
Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris
References
Coefficients de diffusion RMN pour décrire les matériaux complexes, P. Judeinstein, F. Ribot, P. Wzietek, M. Zeghal
Techniques de l’Ingénieur, R 1307 (2024) DOI : 10.51257/a-v1-r1307
Contacts
P. Judeinstein – patrick.judeinstein@universite-paris-saclay.fr
P. Wzietek – pawel.wzietek@universite-paris-saclay.fr
M. Zeghal – mehdi.zeghal@universite-paris-saclay.fr