Self-diffusion Coefficient Measurements Research Articles

Wavenumber-dependent dynamic light scattering optical coherence tomography measurements of collective and self-diffusion

We demonstrate wavenumber-dependent DLS-OCT measurements of collective and self-diffusion coefficients in concentrated silica suspensions across a broad q-range, utilizing a custom home-built OCT system. Depending on the sample polydispersity, either the collective or self-diffusion is measured. The measured collective-diffusion coefficient shows excellent agreement with hard-sphere theory and serves as an effective tool for accurately determining particle sizes. We employ the decoupling approximation for simultaneously measuring collective and self-diffusion coefficients, even in sufficiently monodisperse suspensions, using a high-speed Thorlabs OCT system. This enables particle size and volume fraction determination without the necessity of wavenumber-dependent measurements. We derive a relationship between the particle number-based polydispersity index and the ratio of self and collective mode amplitudes in the autocorrelation function and utilize it to measure the particle number-based polydispersity index. Notably, the polydispersity determined in this manner demonstrates improved sensitivity to smaller particle sizes compared to the standard intensity-based DLS cumulant analysis performed on dilute samples.

Transport Mechanism in Nafion Revealed by Detailed Comparison of 1H and 17O Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Diffusion Coefficients.

We use 1H and 17O NMR static field gradient diffusometry to measure self-diffusion coefficients of protons (DH) and oxygens (DO) in Nafion 212 with various hydration levels (λ = 4-18). For all samples and both nuclei, we obtain activation energies (Ea) of ≈0.19 eV. Analyzing the hydration-level dependence of DH and DO, we find DO/DH ≈ 1 at λ ≈ 18, resembling the situation in bulk water, while oxygen diffusion becomes faster than proton diffusion when the water content is decreased, leading to DO/DH ≈ 1.2 at λ ≈ 4. A comparison with literature data for acidic bulk solutions implies that faster oxygen than proton diffusion results from the existence of the polymer framework. To rationalize the observed ratios DO/DH ≥ 1, we consider a bimodal dynamical model in which the interactions of H+(H2O)m ions with neighboring SO3- groups lead to slower water dynamics in the vicinity of the polymer framework than in the center of the water nanochannels.

Elucidation of Liquid Structures and Transport Properties of Highly Concentrated LiN(SO2F)2/Ethylene Carbonate Electrolytes

The Li+ conduction mechanism in highly concentrated ethylene carbonate (EC) solution of lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide (LiFSA) was studied based on the measurements of thermal properties, density, viscosity, ionic conductivity, self-diffusion coefficients, Raman spectra, and proton nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation time. The compositions of EC and LiFSA were varied from dilute to concentrated states ([EC]/[LiFSA] = 9.2–0.80). For compositions of [EC]/[LiFSA] ≤ 1.5, the free solvents decrease, and contact ion pairs and aggregates become dominant, causing a significant change in the transport properties. Faster diffusion of Li+ compared with solvent (Li+ hopping conduction) was observed when the molar composition of [EC]/[LiFSA] ≤ 1.0 as in the case of sulfolane.

Characteristic length and curvature of the AOT/brine/squalane “sponge” L3 phases

The effect of salinity (NaCl concentration) was determined at 25 ​°C for systems composed of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) and equal volumes of squalane and brine. At all the NaCl concentrations the samples are triphasic with an upper phase made of pure squalane while brine is present in two other phases. At NaCl concentration (in brine) below 1.6 %w/v there is the coexistence of lamellar and sponge (L3) phases. Loading with NaCl above 1.6 %w/v one observes the coexistence of L3 and pure brine. The amount of AOT dissolved in the AOT bilayer has been quantified by thermogravimetric analysis. At salinity above 2 %w/v of NaCl in brine, the AOT sponge phase shrinks expelling brine and the squalane whose presence in the bilayer becomes negligible. The L3 phases have been further characterized by SAXS and diffusion-NMR. The measured self-diffusion coefficients of water and AOT are essentially coincident with those measured at the same salinity in the absence of squalane. The SAXS curves of sponge phases have been fitted to a single equation accounting for the contributions of the bilayer structure and of the large-scale interactions allowing the determination of the average interpore separation D∗ and the bilayer correlation length ξ. The correlation length has been interpreted as reflecting static randomness of connected bilayer instead of the dynamic thermal undulations. Considering the correlation length as the displacement along the bilayer surface subtending a critical angular change (θ∗) below which the surface appears as flat, permits to define the curvature (H) as |H| =θ∗ξ. The correlation length scales linearly with the square of the bilayer volume fraction as proposed by a previous theoretical model assuming the sponge phases are thermodynamically constrained to a curvature that equals the spontaneous curvature.

Solute–Solvent Interactions of 2,2,6,6-Tetramethylpiperidinyloxyl and 5-Tert-Butylisophthalic Acid in Polyethylene Glycol as Observed by Measurements of Density, Viscosity, and Self-Diffusion Coefficient

Solute–Solvent Interactions of 2,2,6,6-Tetramethylpiperidinyloxyl and 5-Tert-Butylisophthalic Acid in Polyethylene Glycol as Observed by Measurements of Density, Viscosity, and Self-Diffusion Coefficient

Features of Self-Diffusion of Tridecane Molecules in a Porous Medium of Kaolinite Used as a Model of a Chemically Inert Membrane

The present work focused on the experimental study of the specific features of self-diffusion of tridecane molecules in macroporous kaolinite, which is used as a raw material for the production of chemically inert membranes. The measurements of self-diffusion coefficients by pulsed magnetic field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance (PMFG NMR) revealed an increased translational mobility of tridecane molecules in kaolinite with incomplete filling of the pore space. This effect was accompanied by a sharp change in the slope of the Arrhenius plot of the self-diffusion coefficients of tridecane molecules in kaolinite. An analysis of the diffusion spin echo decay in the tridecane-kaolinite system revealed a discrepancy between the experimental data and the theoretical predictions, considering the effect of the geometry of porous space on molecular mobility. It was shown that the experimental results could be interpreted in terms of a model of two phases of tridecane molecules in the pores of kaolinite, in the gaseous and adsorbed state, coexisting under the fast-exchange conditions. Within the framework of the model, the activation energies of self-diffusion were calculated, which agreed satisfactorily with the experimental data. Additionally, the effects of the internal magnetic field gradients arising in a porous medium loaded with a gas or liquid on the data of the PFG NMR measurements were calculated. It was shown that the effect of magnetic field inhomogeneities on the measured self-diffusion coefficients of tridecane in kaolinite is small and could be neglected.

Self-diffusion in inhomogeneous granular shearing flows.

In this Letter, we discuss how flow inhomogeneity affects the self-diffusion behavior in granular flows. Whereas self-diffusion scalings have been well characterized in the past for homogeneous shearing, the effect of shear localization and nonlocality of the flow has not been studied. We, therefore, present measurements of self-diffusion coefficients in discrete numerical simulations of steady, inhomogeneous, and collisional shearing flows of nearly identical, frictional, and inelastic spheres. We focus on a wide range of dense solid volume fractions, that correspond to geophysical and industrial shearing flows that are dominated by collisional interactions. We compare the measured values first with a scaling based on shear rate and, then, on a scaling based on the granular temperature. We find that the latter does much better than the former in collapsing the data. The results lay the foundations of diffusion models for inhomogeneous shearing flows, which should be useful in treating problems of mixing and segregation.

Accurate measurements of self-diffusion coefficients with benchtop NMR using a QM model-based approach.

The measurement of self-diffusion coefficients using pulsed-field gradient (PFG) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a well-established method. Recently, benchtop NMR spectrometers with gradient coils have also been used, which greatly simplify these measurements. However, a disadvantage of benchtop NMR spectrometers is the lower resolution of the acquired NMR signals compared to high-field NMR spectrometers, which requires sophisticated analysis methods. In this work, we use a recently developed quantum mechanical (QM) model-based approach for the estimation of self-diffusion coefficients from complex benchtop NMR data. With the knowledge of the species present in the mixture, signatures for each species are created and adjusted to the measured NMR signal. With this model-based approach, the self-diffusion coefficients of all species in the mixtures were estimated with a discrepancy of less than 2 % compared to self-diffusion coefficients estimated from high-field NMR data sets of the same mixtures. These results suggest benchtop NMR is a reliable tool for quantitative analysis of self-diffusion coefficients, even in complex mixtures.

Diffusion-Ordered NMR Spectroscopy Application for Analysis of Polysaccharides

Diffusion-ordered nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (DOSY) is a molecular transport method in analytical chemistry, based on experimental recording of the molecules’ translational mobility at thermodinamic equilibrium in a solution. The translational mobility is characterised quantitatively by a self-diffusion coefficient. The aim of the study was to summarise the main trends in application of DOSY for the analysis of natural and modified natural polysaccharides used in pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical biotechnology. The review shows that this method is an effective instrument for monitoring fractionation during isolation of polysaccharides from a natural mixture, for estimating their average molecular weight and molecular weight distribution, and for studying the formation of supramolecular systems based on polysaccharides. The paper describes main issues of the precise measurement of polysaccharide macromolecules self-diffusion coefficients and provides the correction factors to compensate for errors caused by fluctuations in temperature and viscosity of solutions. The observed scatter of self-diffusion coefficients of narrowly dispersed polymer macromolecules nuclei is explained using the polyphase concept. The paper illustrates ways of describing translational mobility of a polyphase polymer macromolecule as a whole. The authors summarise values of the gradient pulse sequence parameters used in quantitative measurements of self-diffusion coefficients of linear, low-branched, and branched polysaccharides.

23Na NMR T1 relaxation measurements as a probe for diffusion and dynamics of sodium ions in salt-glycerol mixtures.

Mixtures of sodium salts with oxygen-containing molecules are useful from the perspective of applications such as sodium ion batteries because they fill the gap between deep eutectic solvents and molten salt hydrates. In a previous work, the physical properties (such as diffusion coefficients, conductivity, viscosity, and glass transition temperature) of four salts, namely, Na2B4O7 · 10H2O, NaOAc · 3H2O, NaBr, and NaOAc, were measured with glycerol. Pulsed-field gradient (PFG) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was also used to measure self-diffusion coefficients of 1H-bearing species. However, the technique was not able to measure diffusion of sodium ions due to the very fast NMR relaxation rate of such species, resulting in loss of the PFG NMR signal. In the current work, this study is expanded using 23Na T1 relaxation measurements which, under certain assumptions, can be translated into diffusion coefficients. Analysis of the physical properties is then correlated with self-diffusion coefficient measurements to elucidate information about structure and ionic mobility. It is shown that NaOAc · 3H2O, NaBr, and NaOAc fit models for ionic conductivity and diffusion, which are consistent with ionic liquids where charge transport is limited by ionic mobility rather than the number of charge carriers. The waters of hydration of NaOAc · 3H2O do not appear to form a separate phase but are instead strongly coordinated to the cation. In contrast, Na2B4O7 · 10H2O appears to form a water-rich phase with enhanced sodium mobility.

Characterization of Ion Association and Solvation in NaPF6 Carbonate Electrolytes

In this work we aimed to determine the ions association and solvation in electrolytes comprised of NaPF6 in binary EC:PC, and ternary 5EC:3PC:2DEC carbonate solvents. We studied their local and bulk transport properties through multi-Nuclear (1H, 19F and 23Na) Magnetic Resonance spin-lattice relaxation time (T1 ) and self-diffusion coefficient (D) measurements. These studies were complemented with ionic conductivity and solution viscosity measurements. Results show several interesting features. Firstly, the Walden Product – which relates the molar conductivity and viscosity through a temperature-dependent constant – showed a dependence on temperature (see Figure 1). This suggested the dissociation of NaPF6 is dependent on temperature and is lower for the less polar electrolytes. Secondly, the sodium ions are preferentially solvated by PC molecules over EC. Thirdly, significant cation-anion association was observed for the less polar electrolytes. Lastly, this association was independent of temperature indicating that the temperature dependence of the Walden Product is primarily due to that of the viscosity. These results can aid in the improvement of ‘beyond lithium ion’ electrolytes for energy storage applications. Figure 1

Molecular and Ionic Diffusion in Ion Exchange Membranes and Biological Systems (Cells and Proteins) Studied by NMR.

The results of NMR, and especially pulsed field gradient NMR (PFG NMR) investigations, are summarized. Pulsed field gradient NMR technique makes it possible to investigate directly the partial self-diffusion processes in spatial scales from tenth micron to millimeters. Modern NMR spectrometer diffusive units enable to measure self-diffusion coefficients from 10−13 m2/s to 10−8 m2/s in different materials on 1 H, 2 H, 7 Li, 13 C, 19 F, 23 Na, 31 P, 133 Cs nuclei. PFG NMR became the method of choice for reveals of transport mechanism in polymeric electrolytes for lithium batteries and fuel cells. Second wide field of application this technique is the exchange processes and lateral diffusion in biological cells as well as molecular association of proteins. In this case a permeability, cell size, and associate lifetime could be estimated. The authors have presented the review of their research carried out in Karpov Institute of Physical Chemistry, Moscow, Russia; Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics RAS, Chernogolovka, Russia; Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia; Korea University, Seoul, South Korea; Yokohama National University, Yokohama, Japan. The results of water molecule and Li+, Na+, Cs+ cation self-diffusion in Nafion membranes and membranes based on sulfonated polystyrene, water (and water soluble) fullerene derivative permeability in RBC, casein molecule association have being discussed.

Diffusion in dense supercritical methane from quasi-elastic neutron scattering measurements

Methane, the principal component of natural gas, is an important energy source and raw material for chemical reactions. It also plays a significant role in planetary physics, being one of the major constituents of giant planets. Here, we report measurements of the molecular self-diffusion coefficient of dense supercritical CH4 reaching the freezing pressure. We find that the high-pressure behaviour of the self-diffusion coefficient measured by quasi-elastic neutron scattering at 300 K departs from that expected for a dense fluid of hard spheres and suggests a density-dependent molecular diameter. Breakdown of the Stokes–Einstein–Sutherland relation is observed and the experimental results suggest the existence of another scaling between self-diffusion coefficient D and shear viscosity η, in such a way that Dη/ρ=constant at constant temperature, with ρ the density. These findings underpin the lack of a simple model for dense fluids including the pressure dependence of their transport properties.

Diffusivity of α-, β-, γ-cyclodextrin and the inclusion complex of β-cyclodextrin: Ibuprofen in aqueous solutions; A molecular dynamics simulation study

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are widely used in drug delivery, catalysis, food and separation processes. In this work, a comprehensive simulation study on the diffusion of the native α-, β- and γ-CDs in aqueous solutions is carried out using Molecular Dynamics simulations. The effect of the system size on the computed self-diffusivity is investigated and it is found that the required correction can be as much as 75% of the final value. The effect of the water force field is examined and it is shown that the q4md-CD/TIP4P/2005 force field combination predicts the experimentally measured self-diffusion coefficients of CDs very accurately. The self-diffusion coefficients of the three native CDs were also computed in aqueous-NaCl solutions using the Joung and Cheatham (JC) and the Madrid-2019 force fields. It is found that Na+ ions have higher affinity towards the CDs when the JC force field is used and for this reason the predicted diffusivity of CDs is lower compared to simulations using the Madrid-2019 force field. As a model system for drug delivery and waste-water treatment applications, the diffusion of the β-CD:Ibuprofen inclusion complex in water is studied. In agreement with experiments for similar components, it is shown that the inclusion complex and the free β-CD have almost equal self-diffusion coefficients. Our analysis revealed that this is most likely caused by the almost full inclusion of the ibuprofen in the cavity of the β-CD. Our findings show that Molecular Dynamics simulation can be used to provide reasonable diffusivity predictions, and to obtain molecular-level understanding useful for industrial applications of CDs.

Accurate Measurement of Self-diffusion Coefficient of Nanoparticles in Aqueous Solutions Using a Dynamic Light Scattering

One of the standard methods used to measure the hydrodynamic diameter of nanoparticles is photon correlation spectroscopy, especially dynamic light scattering (DLS). In principle, this technique is to analyze correlation function of the scattered light from the nanoparticles undergoing Brownian motion in solution and to calculate the diffusion coefficient from the correlation function which is converted into the hydrodynamic diameter. However, when using this technique, one needs to pay careful attention to interaction effects (i.e., particle-particle and particle-solvent interactions) on the diffusion coefficient of the particles in solution. If not, then incorrect information can be obtained on the self-diffusion coefficients of nanoparticles. In order to facilitate a strict procedure for obtaining real size of the nanoparticles in solution, we used 20 nm, 50 nm and 100 nm-nominal polystyrene latex (PSL) nanoparticle solutions for DLS measurement. We represented that a rigorous scrutinizing the concentration dependence of the diffusion coefficient of the PSL nanoparticles made it possible to separate the interaction effect from the diffusion phenomena of the PSL nanoparticles suspended in water and to give real size of the PSL nanoparticles.

Breakdown of the Stokes-Einstein Equation for Solutions of Water in Oil Reverse Micelles.

An experimental study is presented for the reverse micellar system of 15% by mass polydisperse hexaethylene glycol monodecylether (C10E6) in cyclohexane with varying amounts of added water up to 4% by mass. Measurements of viscosity and self-diffusion coefficients were taken as a function of temperature between 10 and 45 °C at varying sample water loads but fixed C10E6/cyclohexane composition. The results were used to inspect the validity of the Stokes-Einstein equation for this system. Unreasonably small reverse average micelle radii and aggregation numbers were obtained with the Stokes-Einstein equation, but reasonable values for these quantities were obtained using the ratio of surfactant-to-cyclohexane self-diffusion coefficients. While bulk viscosity increased with increasing water load, a concurrent expected decrease of self-diffusion coefficient was only observed for the surfactant and water but not for cyclohexane, which showed independence of water load. Moreover, a spread of self-diffusion coefficients was observed for the protons associated with the ethylene oxide repeat unit in samples with polydisperse C10E6 but not in a sample with monodisperse C10E6. These findings were interpreted by the presence of reverse micelle to reverse micelle hopping motions that with higher water load become increasingly selective toward C10E6 molecules with short ethylene oxide repeat units, while those with long ethylene oxide repeat units remain trapped within the reverse micelle because of the increased hydrogen bonding interactions with the water inside the growing core of the reverse micelle. Despite the observed breakdown of the Stokes-Einstein equation, the temperature dependence of the viscosities and self-diffusion coefficients was found to follow Arrhenius behavior over the investigated range of temperatures.

Structure Effects on the Ionicity of Protic Ionic Liquids.

We report on the characterisation of 16 protic ionic liquids (PILs) prepared by neutralisation of primary or tertiary amines with a range of simple carboxylic acids, or salicylic acid. The extent of proton transfer was greater for simple primary amine ILs compared to tertiary amines. For the latter case, proton transfer was increased by providing a better solvation environment for the ions through the addition of a hydroxyl group, either on the tertiary amine, or by formation of PIL/molecular solvent mixtures. The library of PILs was characterised by differential scanning calorimetry and a range of transport properties (i. e. viscosity, conductivity and diffusivity) were measured. Using the (fractional) Walden rule, the conductivity and viscosity results were analysed with respect to their deviation from ideal behaviour. The validity of the Walden plot for PILs containing ions of varying sizes was also verified for a number of samples by directly measuring self-diffusion coefficients using pulsed-field gradient spin-echo (PGSE) NMR. Ionicity was found to decrease as the alkyl chain length and degree of branching of both the cations and anions was increased. These results aim to develop a better understanding of the relationship between PIL properties and structure, to help design ILs with optimal properties for applications.

Specific Heat and Transport Functions ofWater.

Numerous water characteristics are essentially ascribed to its peculiarity to form strong hydrogen bonds that become progressively more stable on decreasing the temperature. However, the structural and dynamical implications of the molecular rearrangement are still subject of debate and intense studies. In this work, we observe that the thermodynamic characteristics of liquid water are strictly connected to its dynamic characteristics. In particular, we compare the thermal behaviour of the isobaric specific heat of water, measured in different confinement conditions at atmospheric pressure (and evaluated by means of theoretical studies) with its configurational contribution obtained from the values of the measured self-diffusion coefficient through the use of the Adam–Gibbs approach. Our results confirm the existence of a maximum in the specific heat of water at about 225 K and indicate that especially at low temperature the configurational contributions to the entropy are dominant.

Effect of Noncovalent Dispersion of Poly(Ethylene Oxide) in Columnar Polyether-Based Discotic Liquid Crystal on the Ionic Conductivity and Dynamics of Lithium Ions

The ionic conductivity of an electrolyte is represented by a product of carrier density, charge (electric), and ionic mobility. The overall goal of this study was to provide an insight into the influence of lithium ion conductivity and dynamic when a continuous discotic liquid crystal (DLC) matrix of hexaazatrinapthylene-polyether, HATN-TEG-1, is doped with a small amount of polyethylene oxide (PEO, 5% of MW 8000). The favorable non-covalent interactions between PEO and the DLC triethylene glycol side-chains is supported by the maintenance of the mesophase. The lithium ionic conductivity of HATN-TEG-1 was found to be 1.1 × 10−6 S cm−1, which is better than the corresponding HATN-TEG-1-5%PEO-8000 with a value of 6.06 × 10−7 S cm−1. These results are further supported by the dynamics of the lithium ions in HATN-TEG-1 and HATN-TEG-1-5%PEO-8000 as characterized by 7Li, and 1H NMR spin-lattice relaxation time and self-diffusion coefficient measurements. Though the additional PEO was found to increase the ion carriers, the significant lowering of the ionic conductivity may be attributed to the more pronounced decrease of the mobility of the ionic part when the HATN-TEG-1 matrix is dispersed with PEO. This finding indicates that the doping of 5% PEO onto the matrix of HATN-TEG-1 DLC has an adverse effect on both its diffusion rate and ion conductivity.

Self-Diffusion of Electrolyte Species in Composite Battery Electrodes Using PFG-SE MAS NMR for Better Understanding of Their Electrochemical Performance

Long charging times and low power to mass output of current battery systems limit their widespread use for automotive applications. The maximum charging rate is believed to be ultimately limited by diffusion of the lithium ion in the pores of the electrode. The interplay between electrode microstructure, electrochemical performance and lithium ion diffusion must be further studied to improve battery engineering. Electrochemical modelling combined with complementary experimental measurements will enable the development of a tool that will allow battery engineers to tailor battery architectures and in turn increase their performance. Herein, the electrochemical performance of NMC532-based positive electrodes designed for EV application were analyzed with the penetration depth model. A very simple relation was postulated by Gallagher et.al. [1] relating the depth of penetration of the lithium salt in the electrode pore matrix with the ratio of the capacity of the battery at high C-rates (typically C or higher) against its capacity at low rates (typically C/100 or lower). DoD = (Qhigh C-rate/Qlow C-rate) = Ld/L = [(ε⋅D0⋅C0⋅F)/(TL(1-t+)I)] Where Ld is the salt penetration distance, L is the thickness of the electrode, ϵ is the porosity, T is the tortuosity, D0 is the salt self-diffusion coefficient in the electrolyte, C0 is the electrolyte concentration, F is the Faraday’s constant, I is the applied current density and t+ is the cation transference number. The penetration depth model was then used to reproduce experimental electrochemical data of the NMC532-based electrodes. Half-cells made with NMC532 positive electrodes and Li metal negative electrodes were assembled. The NMC532 electrodes were designed with varying degrees of loading, mass percentages of electrode components and calendaring to evaluate electrode microstructure effects against electrode performance. LP30 was chosen as electrolyte and the cells were cycled thru a power test. Three formation cycles of C/10 followed by a power series that includes charge and discharge steps ranging between C/10 and 10C. The temperature was also varied from 0°C to 40°C to evaluate its influence on the electrochemical performance. Electrochemical data shows that denser (less porous) electrodes exhibited less gravimetric capacity than more porous electrodes at higher C-rates whereas the opposite is observed at low C-rates. It was also observed that electrodes having increased active material content and decreased carbon additive content have increased gravimetric capacity than their counterparts. Results from these electrochemical tests were then compared to the fits obtained from the penetration depth model and the resulting fits were in good accordance with each other. The fitted self-diffusion coefficient D0 (which probes the ability of the lithium salt to diffuse into the electrode pores) was retrieved at various temperatures, displaying a trend parallel to the one measured for D(Li+) obtained from PFG-SE NMR for comparison, indicating similar activation energies. However, the effective D0 is smaller compared to the bulk electrolyte, even after accounting for tortuosity and porosity, highlighting other additional effects. Pulsed Field Gradient Spin - Echo NMR (PFG-SE NMR) probes the self-diffusion of spin-bearing species in liquids. Although the technique has been applied to measure self-diffusion coefficients of the electrolyte species when confined into separators and/or membranes, it has never been applied to battery electrodes.[2,3] Paramagnetic electrode materials prevent the measurement of PFG-SE signals, however, composite model electrodes with alumina can be studied by PFG-SE NMR if Magic Angle Spinning is applied to increase resolution. Therefore, the role of binder materials on lithium diffusion was probed by PFG-SE NMR with binder films wetted with LP30 electrolyte, or with alumina/binder/carbon black composites, shedding a new light on these complex systems. Acknowledgments Financial funding from the ANR program no. ANR-15-CE05-0001-01 is acknowledged.