LEAR - High-Resolution NMR Laboratory
São Carlos Institute of Physics - University of São Paulo - Brazil
LEAR - Laboratório de Espectroscopia de Alta Resolução por RMN
Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC) - Universidade de São Paulo (USP) - Brasil
LEAR History - from mid-1980´s to today...
LEAR began its activities in 1986 after a visit to the Research Group of Prof. Bruno Maraviglia at the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", where nice Solid-State NMR imaging techniques were being developed.
The activities started with the assembly of a High-Resolution Solid-State NMR Spectrometer based on a mix of homebuilt rf circuits (transmitters, receivers, probes, ...) and stators/rotors, as well as commercial components, highlighting those from Tecmag and Doty.
The home-assembled spectrometer was used with a 2 T Oxford superconductor magnet. This Solid-State NMR spectrometer allowed us to run, simultaneously, cross-polarization, magic-angle spinning and high-power decoupling under variable temperature. Until the late 1990´s, we studied several soft and solid materials, with emphasis on ionic-conducting polymers, ionic-conducting organic-inorganic hybrid materials, and zeolites. During this period, Prof. José Pedro Donoso Gonzales was an important collaborator for the application of the methods we were developing in the study of solid polymer electrolytes doped with 7Li.
In the mid-1990s, we established an important international collaboration with Dr. Patrick Judeinstein, through the common partner Prof. Michel Andre Aegerter. At that time, Dr. Judeinstein was working at the Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d'Orsay - University Paris Sud, France, in the development of nice advanced organic-inorganic ion-conducting nanocomposites (Ormolytes) and studying them with NMR. This very important and fruitful collaboration extended until a few years ago, from which several excellent articles were published and LEAR achieved a greater international insertion.
In 1998, we bought a Varian Inova 400 MHz Solid-State NMR Spectrometer.
From 1998 to 2000, our group decided to improve the quality of the Solid-State NMR techniques used, especially those dedicated to study polymer dynamics, conformation and morphology, visiting first the Polymer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and then the Ames Laboratory and Department of Chemistry – Iowa State University, always in collaboration with Prof. Klaus Schmidt-Rohr. During this time, we learnt and developed some advanced NMR techniques, as well as conducted several nice studies, including conformation and dynamics of polymers intercalated in clays and MoS2, segmental dynamics in glassy poly(alkyl methacrylate)s, and ionic conducting polymers.
Still in the USA, we started fruitful collaborations with Prof. Daniel Huster, from the Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics - University of Leipzig, and Prof. Detlef Reichert, from the Institute of Physics - Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, which extended from 2000 to 2010. In both cases, we developed research on polymers and biopolymers dynamics by NMR.
After returning from the USA, our group continued to work with the above mentioned techniques.
Around the mid-2000´s, we added a few more research lines in our group: NMR and NQR Quantum Information, Zero-Field NMR (magnetic materials), and Porous Media NMR. In the areas of Quantum Information and Zero-field NMR, we highlight the collaborations with Prof. Ivan S. Oliveira Jr. (CBPF), Prof. Jair Carlos Checon de Freitas (UFES), Rubens Auccaise (UEPG), and João Teles de Carvalho Neto (UFSCar).
Nowadays, most of our efforts are focused on Porous Media – Oil Science NMR area, mainly complemented by 3D X-ray Microscopy, Petrophysical Techniques, and Computational-Physics Methods. Our most important partners in this research area are colleagues from Petrobras Research Center - Cenpes (MSc. Vinicius de F. Machado and PhD. Willian A. Trevizan), KU Leuven (Prof. Dimitrios Sakellariou), and several institutions of University São Paulo, involving geologists, geophysicists (Prof. Ricardo I. F. da Trindade), physicists, engineers (Prof. Carlos A. Fortulan), chemists, mathematicians, and computer scientists, among other professionals. All current collaborators are presented in People section.
For developing our NMR research lines, we have in our lab several superconductor, resistive, and permanent magnets, including single-sided ones, with 1H NMR frequencies varying from 500 kHz to 400 MHz. For running the NMR experiments, we have several consoles from Tecmag, including Discovery, Redstone and LapNMR, as well as from Fine Instrument Technology - FIT, a Brazilian Company.
We have also several complementary equipment to study Porous Media, such as a 3D X-ray Microscope (Bruker SkyScan 1272), permeameter (CoreTest) and workstations, as well as several sophisticated equipment at our disposal in the institution we are located, São Carlos Institute of Physics – University of São Paulo.
This research infrastructure was constructed with the strong support of the following institutions: University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), and Petrobras Research Center (Cenpes).
The following staff and faculty members have made very important contributions for the construction and development of LEAR along its history: Prof. Horácio Carlos Panepucci, Prof. Eduardo Ribeiro de Azevedo, PhD. Edson Luiz Gea Vidoto, João Gomes da Silva Filho, Odir Adolfo Canevarollo, Aparecido Donizeti Fernandes de Amorim, and Prof. Tito José Bonagamba.
Collaborators, former collaborators, students and former students, who were also very important for the construction and development of LEAR, are presented in People section.
Tito J. Bonagamba
LEAR Head
Supporting Agencies...
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