“What if we could see the very atoms that make up the world around us?” That’s the kind of question they ask at the Centre de Résonance Magnétique Nucléaire à très hauts champs de Lyon. Here at the Very High Field NMR Center, scientists push the boundaries of what’s possible. The CRMN is a joint research unit. It includes the CNRS, the Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, and the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon.
The Centre de Résonance Magnétique Nucléaire à très hauts champs is not just a building. It is an environment for research teams specializing in nuclear magnetic resonance. These teams are recognized at the highest international level. Their work delves into the most fundamental aspects of NMR. This happens at the intersection of biology, chemistry, and physics.
What exactly do they do here at the Centre de Résonance Magnétique Nucléaire à très hauts champs? They develop innovative methodological and instrumental breakthroughs. They also radically extend the field of application of this spectroscopy. The CRMN enables the exploration of the structure and dynamics of new compounds. This happens at the atomic scale. These compounds are in key scientific fields with a significant societal impact.
The Centre de Résonance Magnétique Nucléaire à très hauts champs houses some impressive equipment. The center was designed around the installation of the world’s first 1 GHz spectrometer. It was delivered in 2009. Around this instrument, a platform was built. It includes six other frequency spectrometers. These range from 400 to 800 MHz. The center also hosts a unique hyperpolarized NMR platform. It features two DNP MAS systems at 400 MHz and 800 MHz. There are also two polarizers for dissolution DNP.
One notable figure at the Centre de Résonance Magnétique Nucléaire à très hauts champs is Dr. Anne Lesage. She leads the “Hyperpolarized solid-state NMR” unit. Dr. Lesage is also the Director of the National Research Infrastructure for Very High Field NMR. Her group focuses on developing and applying novel NMR methods. These methods are used for atomic-scale characterization. They study the structure and dynamics of solid-state materials.
Another key researcher at the CRMN is David Gajan. He is a research engineer. His expertise lies in solid-state NMR, hyperpolarization, and heterogeneous catalysis. He also studies surface chemistry. Together, these researchers and their teams are pushing the limits of NMR technology.
The Centre de Résonance Magnétique Nucléaire à très hauts champs is at the forefront of scientific discovery. It impacts everything from medicine to materials science. The CRMN’s work helps us understand the world at its most fundamental level.