Volume 5 Issue 4 Rapid and quantitative 1D ¹³C NMR analysis of polypropylene tacticity with relaxation agent and proton polarization transfer
Published 01 December, 2025
Polypropylene can be produced from coal—abundant in China—via the Fischer–Tropsch process, followed by polymerization using Ziegler–Natta or molecular catalysts. Our ¹³C qNMR method, enabled by proton polarization transfer to carbon and the relaxation agent Cr(acac)₃, delivers rapid and accurate tacticity analysis, guiding product development and process optimization.
Xuelei Duan
Xuelei Duan received her MS degree in Material Physics and Chemistry in 2012 from Xi'an University of Science and Technology, China. She specializes in polymer characterization by using NMR and high-temperature GPC coupled with advanced detectors to develop structure characterization methods for polyolefin, and to establish structure−property relationships for new product development. She is a Lead Engineer in National Institute of Clean-and-Low-Carbon Energy in China.
Zhe Zhou
Zhe Zhou obtained his Ph.D. in Engineering in 1997 from Kyoto University, Japan. He did his postdoctoral research from 1997 to 1999 in McMaster University of Canada in the area of NMR studies of biomembrane and peptides. Zhe was NMR lab manager in Louisiana State University of US from 1999 to 2002. He worked in The Dow Chemical Company from 2002 to 2023 in US, focused on polyolefin NMR. He is a Senior Principal Engineer in National Institute of Clean-and-Low-Carbon Energy in China.
Linge Ma
Linge Ma obtained her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in 2006 from Peking University, China. She joined GE at Momentive Performance Materials in Shanghai from 2007 to 2010, specializing in Silicone research. From 2010 to 2012, she worked at Brady Corporation, Beijing with a focus on PSA and hard disc filter research. Since 2012, she holds the position of Senior Engineer at the National Institute of Clean-and-Low-Carbon Energy in China.
Youlin Xia
Youlin Xia received his Ph.D. in Physics in 1995 from Wuhan Physics Institute, Chinese Academy of Science, China. From 1995 to 1998, he worked at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) as a Lecturer and Associate Professor. After that he worked at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and University of Toronto for three years developing NMR pulse sequences. From 2002 to 2010, and from 2010 to 2017, he worked at the University of Houston, and the University of Minnesota, respectively, as NMR Manager and Research Associate Professor. Since 2017, he has been working at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital as Director of NMR Center and Lead Scientist.