The research, in the general area of Analytical and Surface Chemistry, focuses on a range of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques applied to the study of the surfaces of silica and related materials. The study promises to enhance our understanding of these important materials, the basic components of soils and rocks. Silca surfaces will be directly examined by 1H, 29Si and 17O NMR techniques, and indirectly examined by chemically modifying the surface and then using NMR. By varying the size of the chemically modifying molecules surface topography, and distincitions between internal pore or channel surfaces and the external surfaces will be investigated. The chromatographically important C18-silica system will be studied by a combination of deuterium line-shape experiments, relaxation experiments and other methods.
