Low-field NMR for multi-scale characterisation of materials: from paintings to textiles

Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has become a versatile tool for investigating the structure and dynamics of complex materials. During my PhD, I used unilateral NMR to study water dynamics and phase behaviour in historical paint systems during drying and ageing processes, bridging chemistry, materials science and cultural heritage studies. This work revealed how low-field NMR can provide non-invasive, quantitative insights into multi-phase materials with strong spatial heterogeneity.
In my current postdoctoral project, I apply similar NMR methodologies to a different class of materials, textiles, in order to explore transport and relaxation phenomena at multiple scales. The aim is to clarify the mechanisms involved in everyday situations such as washing and drying clothes. This approach highlights how low-field NMR can be used to probe fundamental physicochemical processes across a wide range of materials and applications.
I will present an overview of this research trajectory, introduce key NMR methods used for multi-scale characterisation, discuss current challenges in the ongoing work, and outline future perspectives for combining experimental and modelling approaches.