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.

A team from PNNL joined the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate and first responders from across the country to evaluate commercially available unmanned ground vehicles for emergency response.

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.

From developing new energy storage materials to revealing patterns of Earth’s complex systems, studies led by PNNL researchers are recognized for their innovation and influence.

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.

The ability of a storm-resolving weather model to predict the growth of storms over central Argentina was evaluated with data from the Clouds, Aerosols, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI) field campaign in central Argentina.

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.

Researchers from PNNL and Parallel Works, Inc., applied machine learning methods to predict how much oxygen and nutrients are used by microorganisms in river sediments.

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

The rate of conversion of cloud droplets to precipitation, known as the autoconversion rate, remains a major source of uncertainty in characterizing aerosol’s cloud lifetime effects and precipitation in global and regional models.