Multiscale Dynamics with Ultrafast High-Resolution Relaxometry

The properties of individual molecules and condensed matter are at the origin of the functions of almost every single product conceived, produced or analysed. Understanding and improving the properties of condensed matter requires the determination of both structure and dynamics with atomic resolution over a very broad range of timescales. No technique is available today to determine dynamics from picoseconds up to microseconds of complex systems in liquids with atomic resolution. The HIRES-MULTIDYN project introduces a ground-breaking technology: ultrafast high-resolution relaxometry (UHRR), which synergizes the high-resolution power of high-field nuclear magnetic resonance with multiscale dynamics low-field relaxation based on a new concept for critical fast-field switching. We will design, build, and test the first two proof-of-concept prototypes of UHRR instruments. We will develop the theoretical framework to understand the unprecedented measurements obtained by UHRR and interpret them in terms of molecular motions. We will exploit UHRR prototypes in a series of proof-of-concept applications covering a broad range of fields (drug design, food and health sciences, energy). These applications will demonstrate the unprecedented analytical power of UHRR and generate the momentum required to lead to the future development of a commercial UHRR system built in Europe. The HIRES-MULTIDYN project brings together a tight and complementary consortium of engineers, experimental scientists and theoreticians who are world leaders in NMR methods development, instrumentation, applications and in the theoretical foundations of magnetic relaxation and molecular dynamics simulations. Our ambition is to develop UHRR as a novel technology to determine the dynamic properties of condensed matter that will, within the next decade, boost the ability of scientists to innovate in academia and several industries (from pharma to food, energy and beyond) and enhance public health.