Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Studies

Interface engineering and the study of diffusion and transport processes through and along interfacial regions play important roles in materials science and energy research. For the latter, nanostructured materials are increasingly considered to act as powerful electrodes and solid electrolytes in sustainable energy systems, such as Li ion batteries. This is due to reduced diffusion lengths achieved when going to the nanometer scale and the fact that nanocrystalline materials with an average particle size of less than about 50 nm often show an enhanced diffusivity of their charge carriers. In this article, we show examples of how solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy can be used to study the diffusion parameters of Li cations located in the interfacial regions separately from those in the interior of the grains. This article will demonstrate the future challenges and perspectives of Li NMR as a powerful tool of probing dynamic properties in functional materials