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Research Areas
Magnetic Resonance
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is the phenomenon whereby the magnetic
spins of a nucleus resonate at a particular frequency when placed in an
external magnetic field. These spins can be excited by electromagnetic
radiation (typically at radio frequency) and the resulting signal can
be detected. NMR can also be exploited to produce tomographic images,
a technique known as Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Magnetic Resonance (MR)
has a number of key strengths: it is non-invasive and non-destructive,
it can probe opaque materials and it can be made sensitive to many different
factors, including states of matter, chemical species, diffusion, velocity
and acceleration.
At the MRRC we use the diverse capabilities
of MR to give new insights into chemical engineering systems, for example
multiphase flow, microfluidics, catalysis, fixed-bed reactors, fluidisation,
turbulence, granular dynamics, groundwater remediation, oil recovery,
drug delivery systems and industrial drying. This frequently involves
developing novel techniques to apply the technology to the systems of
interest.
THz Technology
Recent developments in semiconductor
physics have made it possible to provide light at terahertz frequencies
(a frequency of 1 THz equals a wavelength of 0.3 mm) in a relatively easy
way. Light located in this range of the electromagnetic spectrum was very
difficult to generate previously. It has unique properties in that it
easily penetrates through most plastics and polymeric materials used for
pharmaceutical tablets. It is therefore especially useful for non-destructive
imaging applications.
In addition to structural information it
is possible to extract the full chemical fingerprint of the materials
by looking at the frequency response of the terahertz images. Here, vibrations
of the whole molecule are probed rather than just the vibrations of single
functional moieties within a molecules as is the case in infrared spectroscopy,
which makes terahertz spectroscopy a very powerful tool for the analysis
of the complex solid-state materials properties.
Modelling
Modelling at the MRRC is concerned
with the theoretical studies of heterogeneous porous materials in order
to gain a better understanding of their structural and transport properties.
We use a wide range of simulation techniques such as molecular dynamics,
lattice-Boltzmann and cellular automata; or if none are suitable, we write
our own.
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