Resolving the Unresolved: Multiscale Structure and Morphology in Soft Materials via DNP-NMR spectroscopy

Research Project, 2026 – 2030

Understanding how internal structure governs the performance of soft and composite materials remains a major challenge in materials science. Many such systems contain coexisting amorphous, semicrystalline, and crystalline regions – chemically distinct and distributed across multiple length scales, from nanometers to microns. These structural features play a critical role in determining properties such as mechanical strength, thermal stability, and molecular transport, yet remain difficult to detect and characterize using conventional analysis methods.This project aims to overcome that limitation by developing and applying advanced solid-state NMR spectroscopy, enhanced by dynamic nuclear polarization, to simultaneously resolve domain chemistry, morphology, and spatial organization in complex soft materials. The approach integrates experimental measurements with spin-diffusion modeling to extract quantitative, chemically specific information across structural hierarchies.The research will be carried out through method development, validation against benchmark systems, and application to a range of soft and hybrid materials. The resulting analytical framework will support a deeper understanding of how local structural features influence macroscopic function. By enabling new insight into structure–property relationships, the project will contribute to the design of next-generation materials with improved or tunable performance.