Bringing order to disordered materials-an NMR crystallography approach
The research interests of the Brijith Thomas lab are in the methodology development in NMR crystallography by incorporating DNP Solid state NMR, electron diffraction data along with XRD, and DFT calculations.
Using solid-state NMR to explore structure–property relationships in disordered systems with unique optoelectronic properties.
Our group aims to understand the structure-property relationships of less ordered materials with interesting optoelectronic properties. These materials often present challenges for structural analysis with conventional methods. In our approach we use a combination of solid-state NMR and Three-Dimensional Electron Diffraction (3D ED) along with DFT calculations to elucidate the structure (Fig 1). Our primary focus here is on two families of molecules: Perylenediimide (PDI) and Eumelanin. This approach has broad applicability, extending to disordered systems in pharmaceuticals, coordination polymers, and beyond. Our long-term goal is to study structural changes in the photo-excited states of PDI and eumelanin using solid-state NMR.
