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.

Five PNNL innovations earned 2026 R&D 100 Awards for advances in biotechnology, manufacturing, critical minerals, and nuclear security.

Developed a method for selectively anchoring diverse divalent metal cations in zeolites, important for precise control over catalytic materials.

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

A recent article highlighted a PNNL report focused on post-quantum cryptography and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

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.

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

This summer, PNNL hosted the inaugural “As Conductive As Copper” (AC2.0) workshop, fostering a collaborative conversation on the future of the U.S. copper supply chain.

Ampcera has an exclusive licensing agreement with PNNL to commercially develop and license a new battery material for applications such as vehicles and personal electronics.

PNNL's new energy storage facility now houses the Lab's vehicle battery research programs, which have more lab space and a slew of new capabilities.

PNNL researchers have developed a new, physics-informed machine learning model that accurately predicts how heat accumulates and dissipates during friction stir processing.

Models have identified a new source of anthropogenic emissions driving the observed weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation.

Led by PNNL, the new Cathode-Electrolyte Interphase Consortium has been launched, involving 10 national laboratories and 10 universities.

A PNNL-developed computational framework accurately predicts the thermomechanical history and microstructure evolution of materials designed using solid phase processing, allowing scientists to custom design metals with desired properties.

Research published in Journal of Manufacturing Processes demonstrates innovative single-step method to manufacture oxide dispersion strengthened copper materials from powder.

Multidisciplinary teams from research and industry are brought together using management systems developed by a team of software engineers at PNNL.

The Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines initiative recently outlined six years of research in a findings and impact report.