Single Molecule Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Microscopy for Complex Spin Systems

Introduction

Nanotechnology is emerging as a key area to address global challenges in health, energy, environment, and information technologies. However, we are still investigating most nanomaterials with bulk techniques, averaging over large samples, instead of looking at one single nanostructure with true nanoscale sensors.

Challenges in Current Techniques

Particularly, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) as our workhorse for bio/chemical synthesis and medical imaging is inherently limited to bulk samples. The most fundamental challenge, to turn NMR from an ensemble-measurement technique (Commercial NMRs typically have a sensitivity of billions of molecules) into a nanoscale technique remains unsolved.

Project Objectives

In this project, we will overcome this challenge by reaching single molecule sensitivity, thus converting NMR into an imaging technique thanks to the exploitation of the unparalleled atomic resolution of the scanning probe microscopy (SPM) technology.

Technological Innovations

This breakthrough will be based on:

1. Resonant, high frequency, electro-magnetic excitation and readout.
2. Important advances in GHz technology.

We will use the capabilities of the novel technology to demonstrate detection of single spin NMR and to test the limits of our understanding of nuclear-electron interactions. This includes probing the physics of:

• Molecular nanoobjects
• 1D carbon nanoribbons with delocalized coherent states
• 2D atomically-thin magnetic materials

Impact and Applications

This novel technology will not only open up new fundamental scientific insights but should also have a strong impact in the markets of NMR and SPM.

Conclusion

In this context, the project will be a keystone, demonstrating the novel platform conceived as a versatile upgrade for commercially-available SPMs, that can routinely operate in various environments (vacuum, ambient, liquid) with a variety of molecules and materials.