Join the MCP on Tuesday, April 15th to welcome Gobin Acharya from Rutgers University for his talk, Atomic resolution measurements of structure and dynamics in ionic liquids using magic-angle-spinning NMR coupled with synchrotron x-ray and quasi-elastic neutron scattering spectroscopy.” His seminar will take place at 11am in the Stieff Silver Building.

Abstract: Atomic resolution measurements of structure and dynamics in ionic liquids using magic-angle-spinning NMR coupled with synchrotron x-ray and quasi-elastic neutron scattering spectroscopy

Ionic liquids (ILs) are molten salts that are liquid near room temperature, with either the anionic or/and cation species

being molecular ions that are flexible, bulk, polarizable, and frequently amphiphilic. Simple chemical synthesis of these molecular ions means that they can be combined to create tunable solvent properties that are finding applications in a wide variety of chemistry, materials science, and biotechnological applications. The physical-chemical properties which govern their useful behaviors have been studied over the years using measurements of bulk properties like viscosity and density along with structural measurements from X-ray and molecular dynamics simulations.   Despite their liquid state, the high viscosities of the ionic liquids studied here require a solid-state NMR technique to yield high-resolution spectra. Using the NMR active spin ½ nuclei 1H, 19F, 31P, and 13C (all of which except 13C are present at high natural abundance), we can probe the structure and dynamic of the ions at the atomic (sub-ionic) scale. By determining NMR relaxation parameters combined with the pico-seconds to nano-seconds dynamics measurement using neutron scattering, we are able to confirm the findings of all-atom MD simulations and provide details to the structure-function S(q) described by synchrotron x-ray measurements.

Speaker Bio: Gobin Acharya

Dr. Gobin Acharya received my PhD in Physics in 2022 from Wayne State University, Michigan, working with Prof. Peter

Hoffmann.  During his time at Wayne, he worked primarily in experimental soft condensed matter physics to understand nanoconfined fluids’ mechanical properties and dynamics using atomic force microscopy and neutron scattering technique. He currently works as a postdoc at Prof.  Nieuwkoop’s Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University (RU), NJ. His research focuses primarily on studying the structure and dynamics of ionic liquids and soft materials using magic angle spinning solid-state NMR spectroscopy, neutron, and synchrotron x-ray scattering techniques. Over the past few years, he has developed and applied advanced NMR methods, neutrons and synchrotron x-ray scattering techniques to explore material properties at the atomic level.