Probing Structure, Ion Dynamics and Interfacial Reactivity in Energy-Storage Materials by Solid-State NMR

Electrochemical energy-storage materials are chemically and structurally complex, often containing disordered phases, mobile ions, paramagnetic species, and buried interfaces that are difficult to characterize using conventional diffraction-based techniques. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance provides element-selective access to these local environments and helps connect atomic-scale structure and dynamics with electrochemical behavior.

In this webinar, selected examples from research conducted at CIC energiGUNE will illustrate how solid-state NMR can address key questions across different energy-storage technologies. The first part will focus on paramagnetic cathode materials based on both sodium and lithium. The combination of low-field NMR and fast magic-angle spinning enables the observation of broad, paramagnetically shifted resonances, providing insight into local structure, transition-metal distributions, dopant environments, magnetic interactions, and alkali-ion dynamics.

The second part will examine lithium- and sodium-storage processes in anode materials, including graphite, lithium metal, hard carbon, and silicon/graphite composites. Multinuclear and exchange NMR approaches will show how different ion-storage environments can be identified and how lithium exchange between active materials and the solid-electrolyte interphase can be investigated.

Solid electrolytes will then be used to demonstrate how solid-state NMR can resolve ionic environments, mobility, and exchange in ceramic, composite, and multicomponent electrolyte systems. Finally, examples involving porous carbon electrodes and supercapacitors will illustrate how in situ and exchange NMR can probe molecular penetration, confinement, and ion mobility within electrochemically accessible pores.

Together, these studies demonstrate how solid-state NMR can move beyond phase identification to provide mechanistic insight into local structure, ion transport, interfacial processes, and charge-storage behavior in complex energy-storage materials.

Tuesday, September 22 2026

8 AM PDT, 11 AM EDT, 5 PM CEST

• How solid-state NMR reveals local structure in complex energy-storage materials.
• Approaches for studying paramagnetic cathodes using fast-MAS and low-field NMR.
• Methods to investigate lithium and sodium storage mechanisms in anode materials.
• Insights into ion mobility and exchange processes in solid electrolytes.
• Strategies for probing interfacial phenomena, including SEI formation and ion transport.
• How NMR provides mechanistic understanding of battery and supercapacitor performance.

• Battery and energy-storage researchers
• Materials scientists and electrochemists
• Solid-state NMR users and practitioners
• Scientists working on cathodes, anodes, and solid electrolytes
• Academic and industrial R&D teams developing next-generation energy-storage materials