Josef W. Zwanziger

Professor and Canada Research Chair in NMR Studies of Materials

BA (Chicago), PhD (Cornell)

E-mail: jzwanzig@dal.ca
Phone: (902) 494-1960
Fax: (902) 494-1310

* Accepting Graduate Students 
 
Research Interests: Materials Science. 

Knowledge of material structure is critical to understanding material performance. We study a variety of materials with applications in energy storage and optics, and combine structural studies with bulk measurements and synthesis to establish structure-property relationships and to improve the material characteristics.

Our primary structural tool is solid-state NMR, and we are setting up a new very high field solid-state NMR spectrometer, along with several lower field instruments. We supplement NMR in our research with neutron and x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. We also use a variety of methods to characterize the bulk properties of materials, including electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and dynamic mechanical analysis. Synthesis methods we use include high temperature techniques and sol-gel chemistry. Due to the combination of emphases on structural characterization, bulk property measurements, and synthesis, students in our laboratory receive an exceptionally broad exposure to materials research.

We are currently studying a variety of materials systems, from several perspectives. We are very interested in solid polymer electrolytes, for use in lithium batteries, and are focusing on blends of polymers with organic-inorganic composites. These materials show promising lithium conductivity and transport behavior, due to the polymer component, while the inorganic component confers good thermal and mechanical stability. We are also investigating glasses and glass-ceramics of interest in nonlinear optics, and plan to expand this research into studies of glass strength and toughness.

Visit Our lLb: The Zwanziger Lab

Selected Publications: See List.