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PNNL.Edu

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is one of the United States Department of Energy national laboratories, managed by the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science. The main campus of the laboratory is in Richland, Washington.

New Sodium, Aluminum Battery Aims to Integrate Renewables for Grid Resiliency

“A new battery design could help ease integration of renewable energy into the nation’s electrical grid at lower cost, using Earth-abundant metals, according to a study just published in Energy Storage Materials. A research team, led by the Department …

Scientists Unveil Least Costly Carbon Capture System to Date

“PNNL scientists carve a path to profit from carbon capture through carbon upcycling, unlock crucial step in decarbonization and advancing toward net zero emissions The need for technology that can capture, remove and repurpose carbon dioxide grows stronger with every …

Cooking Up a Conductive Alternative to Copper with Aluminum

“First-ever simulation of aluminum conductivity offers a recipe for an inexpensive substitute for copper. In the world of electricity, copper is king—for now. That could change with new research from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) that is serving up …

Tri-Cities Scientists ‘Magically’ Mining Metals From Water

“Centuries ago, alchemists tried to turn lead into gold. While they were not successful, the prospect of coaxing valuable materials from abundant sources remains tantalizingly attractive. Today, scientists at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are working …

Surprising Semiconductor Properties Revealed with Innovative New Method

“A research team probing the properties of a semiconductor combined with a novel thin oxide film have observed a surprising new source of conductivity from oxygen atoms trapped inside. Scott Chambers, a materials scientist at the Department of Energy’s …

How a Smart Electric Grid Will Power Our Future

“A novel plan that offers partnership in keeping the United States electric grid stable and reliable could be a win-win for consumers and utility operators. The largest ever simulation of its kind, modeled on the Texas power grid, concluded that …

Synthesizing Nanomaterials from Nature’s Blueprints

“Molecular self-assembly expert Chun-Long Chen describes the challenges and opportunities ahead in bio-inspired materials design Velcro. Airplanes. Sonar. What do these have in common? The invention of each was inspired by nature. Velcro mimics burdock burr’s ability to attach …

Atomic-Scale Images for Energy Science

“They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But that’s only true if it’s not blurry, or grainy, or the subject’s head is not out of the frame. These kind of epic fails plague even experienced …

ArtSea Inks and Material—a Sustainable Art Media for 2-D and 3-D Compositions

“From Rembrandt to Picasso, artists have been using the right combination of color and texture to conjure emotive responses. Today, artists have capitalized on the versatility of additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3-D printing, to create, restore, and modify …

To Reduce Vehicle Pollution, a Single Atom Can Do the Work of Several

“Researchers hit on a way to reduce precious metals in engine aftertreatment systems Your ride might be a modest one—but if it burns gasoline, you have precious metals on board. To reduce pollution at the tailpipe, gasoline cars and …