Jian Zhi Hu
Expertise
Dr. Hu has 25 years research experience in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS)/imaging (MRI). In particular, he has developed the slow and ultra slow magic angle spinning, or magic angle turning (MAT) NMR techniques with sample spinning rate ranged from 1 to about 1000Hz for enhanced spectral resolution in studying solid and biological samples at molecular level. Research interests include ex-situ and in situ NMR characterization of heterogeneous bulk solid catalyst materials, surface functional groups/active cites, and molecular dynamics at the interface and the reaction mechanisms/pathways. Other interests include ultra-high field NMR spectroscopy, ab-initial calculations using quantum chemistry theory to predict molecular geometry and the principal values of chemical shift tensors, quadrupolar coupling constants, NMR lineshape simulation, NMR pulse sequence design, programming, testing, and in situ NMR probe design and construction.
Education
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 1996-98.
- Ph.D, Applied Physics, jointly trained by Wuhan Institute of Physics, CAS and the Dept. Chem. University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 1994.
- M.S., Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), 1986.
- B.S., Physics, Lanzhou University, China, 1983
Research Interests
Dr. Hu specializes in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Recent interest includes:
- Development and application of novel Magnetic Resonance techniques, such as the magic angle turning experiments, applied at very slow sample spinning rate from 1 to 100 Hz, to enhance NMR spectral resolution in intact cells, excised organs, excised tissues and live animals.
- Developing spectral resolution enhanced localized NMR spectroscopy/imaging to study biological samples.
- Application of solid state NMR techniques to investigate molecular structure and dynamics of catalyst materials, polycrystalline and amorphous solids, fossil fuels, polymers and biological solids.
- Developing a novel in-situ NMR method to characterize real time catalytic reaction.
- Ab-initial calculations using quantum chemistry theory to predict molecular geometry and NMR parameters.
- NMR Pulse sequence development and data processing.
- NMR probe design and construction.
- Dr. Hu has more than 20 years of research experience, more than 70 publications in the field of NMR, and three issued and one US patents. He joined PNNL in 2000 and has been associated with the Macromolecular Structure and Dynamics group in the EMSL since 2000.