Amine functionalized graphene oxide yields laminates with an enhanced capacity to adsorb rare earth elements, improved water transport, and greater stability for effective membrane-based separation of critical minerals.

Tracking water age using a new precipitation tagging method within a hydrologic model generates key information to support hydropower energy and other water-dependent systems.

More rain and less snow shorten how long water stays in watersheds.

​​Tests show which low-cost 3D method best matches field measurements to minimize errors in mapping headwaters.​

Replacing commercial acid with acidic waste enables researchers to improve nickel extraction efficiency, lower projected costs, and improve process economics.

Researchers discovered that a polymer additive promotes smooth, layer-by-layer deposition on metal electrodes by tuning interactions with the substrate.

Anisotropies in surface potential driven by competitive ion adsorption can alter facet selectivity during oriented attachment.

Summarizing the state of designed protein hybrid materials, researchers celebrate both the 50th anniversary of the MRS Bulletin and the 2025 Fred Kavli Distinguished Lecturers in Materials Science, Jim De Yoreo and David Baker.

Localized gradients in magnetic fields have long-range effects on the concentration of rare earth ions in solution, facilitating field-driven extraction of critical minerals.

Studying a series of rare earth element compounds revealed differences in their magnetic behavior that will be leveraged for separations.

Specially designed histidine-containing peptoids mimic carbonic anhydrase to accelerate calcite step growth.

Distributed science is thriving at PNNL, where scientists share data and collaborate with researchers around the world to increase the impact of the work.

Imaging ice microstructures formed by water freezing with atomic resolution for the first time.

In high-entropy oxides, chromium tends to segregate during growth due to oxidation-induced migration of smaller, high-valence cations.

Tailored assemblies mimic natural enzyme activity with significantly higher stability.

Soil mineral preferentially incorporates rare earth elements based on size, with implications for critical mineral extraction.

Researchers developed a way to precisely control dopant structures and locations in carbon-based materials.

Researchers have developed the first coastal transport model for microplastics to understand how particles move in waterways and coastal currents.

High-resolution hydrodynamic-sediment modeling shows that inundation, suspended sediment concentration in the Amazon River, and floodplain hydrodynamics drive sediment deposition in Amazonian floodplains.

Lakes are important sentinels of climate change and contribute significantly to the emissions of the second most important greenhouse gas—methane.