Research Areas
Materials Science
Revolutionary new materials are needed to produce, use, and store domestically produced sources of energy. These new materials are unlikely to be discovered rapidly through a trial-and-error approach, which involves fabricating and characterizing literally thousands of materials having systematically varied compositions and phases. Such an approach is too slow and costly to meet the demands of the energy, national security, and environmental remediation sectors.
At Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, our research focuses on understanding materials synthesis at the molecular and atomic level and then scaling that knowledge to specific situations. For example, our research into graphene and the challenges of energy storage led to developing, with Vorbeck Materials Corporation and Princeton University, an award-winning material incorporating graphene that greatly improves the performance of lithium batteries. The new material delivers increased battery capacity, a longer cycle life, and increased specific power at high charge-discharge rates, which are critical to expanding the adoption and use of electric vehicles.
Understanding materials often involves understanding how defects and interfaces form and affect the material"s behavior. For example, to improve the electronic devices that keep our modern, hyper-connected world organized, our researchers are investigating an unusual form of electrical conductivity that takes place at the junction of two oxides. Working with University College London, they found the interface of two complex oxides did not conduct electricity, contradicting the current model, which assumes precise, clear-cut regions exist for each oxide material.
Our materials studies also focus on materials in extreme environments, such as those found in nuclear reactors and orbiting satellites, and the principles for creating more durable, higher performing materials.
Our experimental and theoretical analysis draws upon advanced synthesis and characterization tools at the national laboratory and user facilities. We conduct studies at the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory, which houses specialized labs for research with microgram-to-kilogram quantities of fissionable materials and megacurie activities of other radionuclides. Also, we conduct research in EMSL, using transmission electron microscopes, nuclear magnetic spectrometers, molecular beam epitaxy, and other tools all located under one roof. When the tools do not exist, we create them.
We succeed because of our teams, which include chemists, physicists, biologists, and materials scientists. Our team members are selected for their ability to solve the problem, regardless of where they work. This allows us to bring together different scientific perspectives for our clients.
The U.S. Department of Energy is our chief client. We conduct work for DOE"s Office of Science, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, and Office of Nuclear Energy. We also have clients in the national security arena, focusing on sensors, and with industry.