Utilizing super magnets

Dr. Kenneth Brown

The NMR technology uses superconducting magnets to allow researchers to examine the structure of everything from composite materials to vitamin B12. The magnets are used in conjunction with spectrometers to create an image that helps reveal how materials are structured.

"We'll be able to look at structures, like composite materials, for instance, and see any possible defects inside them without tearing them apart first," explained Dr. Kenneth Brown, head of the Chemistry Department.

Nuclear magnetic resonance also is being used in Chemistry Department research aimed at the development of new antibiotics and in the study of copper used as a wood preservative.

The magnets, the larger weighing some 2,500 pounds empty, are made of superconducting material which loses virtually all electrical resistance when cooled to extremely low temperatures. It is surrounded by a bath of liquid helium which is, in turn, surrounded by liquid nitrogen. The gases act as refrigerants.

Once the superconducting material is given its magnetic charge electrically, the gases keep it cold enough to hold the charge.

All this is made possible by a matching $480,500 grant from the National Science Foundation through the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

"NSF started the EPSCoR program to give those states with little NSF funding a chance to build up a pool of talent," Brown said. "By building up the research talent, EPSCoR helps these states become nationally competitive."

--Kay Jones