About Me
Hello there! My name is Henrik Bradtmüller, and I am a broadly trained Materials Scientist with a strong academic background in chemistry. My area of expertise is in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, a field that is rapidly expanding and important in many industries and branches of academic research.
Currently, I am serving as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Federal University of São Carlos. Specifically, I am a member of the Vitrous Materials Lab (LaMaV), a cutting-edge research group that is led by Professor Dr. Edgar Dutra Zanotto.
Through my work at LaMaV, I am continually expanding my knowledge and contributing to the development of new technologies and methods that will shape the future of materials science. I am very passionate about my work and am committed to using my skills and expertise to make a positive impact in the world.
Thank you for visiting my personal homepage. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to learn more about my work.
My research interest
I am currently focused on researching the structural changes that occur during the relaxation and crystallization (or devitrification) of glasses. My aim is to understand the critical factors that govern the survival or death of the vitreous state. This is an essential area of study because, once the first crystal nucleus is formed, the crystallization of glass becomes a spontaneous and unstoppable process. Despite decades of research in this field, many questions concerning the mechanisms and kinetics of the crystallization process remain unanswered. However, these questions are of fundamental importance to glass science and all technologies that rely on it.
The significance of understanding the stability of glasses becomes even more apparent when we consider how much they have become an integral part of our daily lives. Glasses are now indispensable to most modern technologies, from smartphones and computer screens to the windows in our homes and cars. Moreover, many people rely on glasses or contact lenses to correct their vision, making them an essential tool for millions of individuals around the world.
Beyond their ubiquitous use, glasses also play a crucial role in ensuring that our internet and communication networks remain fast, reliable, and efficient. Additionally, extensive scientific and corporate research has enabled us to develop new types of glasses and tailor their physical, chemical, and mechanical properties in detailed and sophisticated ways.
By continuing to explore the science behind glasses, we can continue to unlock new possibilities for this fascinating and essential material. I am excited to be a part of this research and to contribute to our understanding of the vitreous state and the role that glasses play in our lives.
My current work
The advancement of fundamental glass research has progressed much more slowly than the rapid discovery of new glasses. In the past, significant leaps forward in understanding glass structure were only made upon discovering completely new analytical methods, which often took years or even decades to develop. While many methods have contributed to our understanding of glasses, the advent of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has particularly advanced the field. NMR spectroscopy enables us to probe the disordered structure of glasses at the atomic level.
Recent research has shown that information on the intermediate-range scale ordering (on a length scale of about 3 to 5 Å) may be crucial to understanding how a glass crystallizes. Unfortunately, obtaining structural information on this length scale is particularly difficult for glass network modifiers (often alkaline or alkaline-earth oxides such as Li2O, Na2O, CaO, MgO, etc.), even with NMR spectroscopy.
Therefore, my primary research focus is on developing novel characterization strategies for glasses. Specifically, I am pushing the boundaries of the current state-of-the-art methods of solid-state NMR spectroscopy. This involves developing strategies to address the spectroscopic challenges posed by quadrupolar nuclei, which include most glass network modifiers. Through these efforts, I aim to enhance our understanding of glass structures at the atomic level and ultimately contribute to the discovery of new glasses with unique properties and applications.