In this award, funded by the Experimental Physical Chemistry program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Philip Grandinetti of the Ohio State University, his post-doctoral fellow and graduate students will continue their work on the development of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods for the analysis of the structure and composition of disordered solids. Their efforts will focus on the refinement of the rotary resonance technique developed earlier in the Grandinetti laboratory, and development of methods to determine oxygen coordination number using the oxygen-17 isotope as a probe. The new NMR methods will then be used to determine the distribution of structures in various silicate glass compositions.
The relationship between the molecular structure and physical properties of glasses is an important technological issue, but is not currently well understood. Professor Grandinetti's research will contribute to the understanding of these relationships, not only in glassy materials but in disordered solids in general. In addition to its broader technological impacts, the supported research will also provided for the training of undergraduates and graduates in a wide range of disciplines, including materials science, computer programming, as well as instrument design and fabrication.
