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.

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

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.

Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE) imparts significantly more deformation compared to conventional extrusion. The latest ShAPE system at PNNL, ShAPEshifter, is a purpose-built machine designed for maximum configurability.

The work by the team at PNNL takes a critical step in leveraging ML to accelerate advanced manufacturing R&D, specifically for manufacturing techniques without access to efficient, first-principles simulations.