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Breadcrumb

  1. Research
  2. Scientific Discovery
  3. Materials Science
  4. Materials in Extreme Environments

Materials in
Extreme
Environments

Scientists profile intact biological samples by applying a technique known as “pressurized magic angle spinning technology” to nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for analysis of complex samples under conditions that mimic real-world environments, such as those found in the deep ocean or underground. This technology has been used to study carbon sequestration, recreate conditions deep underground and track the complex chemical reactions in biofuels. A team from EMSL, the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory won an R&D 100 award in 2015 for the pressurized magic angle spinning technology.

Andrea Starr | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

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When placed in extreme environments, materials can behave in unexpected and unpredictable ways. Understanding the forces that affect material behavior in extreme environments is critical to assuring the safety and reliability of industrial processes and accelerating the processing of radioactive wastes at Department of Energy sites.

With more than 50 years studying material effects in high pressure, high temperature, and in radiologically active spaces, PNNL has established the scientific expertise necessary to advance understanding of material behavior in these environments. We have developed and employed specialized synthesis and characterization tools available in few other research settings. Our studies use the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory, which houses specialized labs for research with microgram-to-kilogram quantities of fissionable materials and megacurie activities of other radionuclides. Further, the transmission electron microscopes, nuclear magnetic spectrometers, and molecular beam epitaxy resources located in the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a national user facility, all contribute to our research capabilities.

Areas where radioactive waste is stored, for example, are extremely alkaline with little water, and materials here are driven far from chemical equilibrium by ionizing radiation. This complex chemical milieu requires study to assure responsible stewardship. Toward that goal, PNNL leads a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional team examining the unique chemistry of this environment. The Interfacial Dynamics in Radioactive Environments and Materials (IDREAM) Energy Frontier Research Center combines theory with experimental testing toward the goal of predicting material behavior in radioactive environments.

For example, during radioactive waste treatment, the process of dissolving waste is often quite slow. To understand why, researchers used high-field magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to get a close-up view of how gibbsite, a type of aluminum crystal, forms and dissolves. They discovered that the process involves a complicated (and slow!) change in geometry that had not been fully understood. The team captured real-time system dynamics as a function of experimental conditions, revealing previously unknown details. Understanding how aluminum coordination changes in extreme environments may lead to efficiencies in aluminum production and accelerate radioactive waste processing. 

Other research in extreme environments includes surface science, crystal growth, materials synthesis, self-assembly, and materials characterization, such as mineral carbonation in supercritical carbon dioxide using high-pressure scanning probe microscopy.

Recent News

APRIL 16, 2021
Staff Accomplishment

Pearce Takes Reins of IDREAM Research as New Director

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Carolyn Pearce was named the IDREAM EFRC Director in March 2021
APRIL 14, 2021
News Release

Canister Delivery to Strengthen Nuclear Storage Research

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A nuclear fuel canister, wrapped in a blue tarp, sits atop a flatbed truck just outside the PNNL Richland campus.
APRIL 6, 2021
Staff Accomplishment

Unexpected Art

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Photo of bolt hole and peeling paint on decommissioned RPM shell
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Related Capabilities

Condensed Matter Physics & Materials Science
Nuclear & Radiochemistry
Chemical & Molecular Science
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