Rotational Hammer Riveting, developed by PNNL, joins dissimilar materials quickly without preheating rivets. The friction-based riveting enables use of lightweight magnesium rivets and also works on aluminum and speeds manufacturing.
Researchers developed two solutions for air-conditioning—a novel, energy-efficient dehumidification system and a technology to detect refrigerant leaks. Both help increase energy-efficiency and reduce costs.
Through two U.S. Department of Energy funding calls awarded in 2020, PNNL is partnering with industry and academia to advance battery materials and processes.
Scientists have created a single-crystal, nickel-rich cathode that is hardier and more efficient than before—important progress on the road to better lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles.
Researchers at PNNL have increased the conductivity of copper wire by about five percent via a process called Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion. General Motors tested the wire for application in vehicle motor components.
A new PNNL report says the western U.S. power system can handle large-scale vehicle electrification up to 24 million vehicles through 2028, but more than that and cities could start feeling the squeeze.
Researchers at PNNL have developed a software tool that helps universities, small business, and corporate developers to design better batteries with new materials that hold more energy.
PNNL and WSU researchers have improved the performance and life cycle of sodium-ion battery technology to narrow the gap with some lithium-ion batteries.
Researchers at PNNL have come up with a novel way to use silicon as an energy storage ingredient, replacing the graphite in electrodes. Silicon can hold 10 times the electrical charge per gram, but it comes with problems of its own.
Scientists have uncovered a root cause of the growth of needle-like structures—known as dendrites and whiskers—that plague lithium batteries, sometimes causing a short circuit, failure, or even a fire.
PNNL researchers have created a chemical cocktail that could help electric cars power their way through extreme temperatures where current lithium-ion batteries don’t operate as efficiently as needed.
PNNL researchers demonstrate how the excitation of oxygen atoms that contributes to better performance of a lithium-ion battery also triggers a process that leads to damage, explaining a phenomenon that has been a mystery to scientists.