Warwick: UK’s most powerful nuclear magnetic resonance device powers up

The UK’s most powerful nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) device for studying solids has officially opened at a national research facility in the Warwick University’s Centre for Magnetic Resonance.

The UK 850 MHz Solid-State NMR Facility, a national facility open to researchers across the UK, was made possible by a £3.7 million grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). It also received funding through the Birmingham Science City initiative supported by Advantage West Midlands (AWM) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The facility was formally launched by David Delpy, the Chief Executive of EPSRC at an event attended by researchers from all the main facility partners at the universities of Warwick, Cambridge, Durham, Nottingham, Glasgow and St Andrews.

Delpy said NMR spectroscopy is a vital analytical tool science. “It is a powerful technique that can provide detailed information on the topology, dynamics and three-dimensional structure of molecules in solution and the solid state.”

Mark Smith, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Warwick, said the facility will provides a significant leap in the capability available to the UK’s NMR spectroscopy researchers. “This was possible through the coordinated efforts of a wide range of researchers and funders and is a model of such a partnership for developing such facilities for the UK in the future. It is certain to provide us with new insights into everything from potential new pharmaceuticals to innovate materials for the next generation of catalytic convertors.”