Ice crystals are surprisingly tolerant of defects in their structure. The findings come from the first-ever molecular-resolution observations of nanoscale samples of ice frozen from liquid water.

Imaging ice microstructures formed by water freezing with atomic resolution for the first time.

A breakthrough at PNNL could free friction stir from current constraints—and open the door for increased use of the advanced manufacturing technique on commercial assembly lines.

Tailored assemblies mimic natural enzyme activity with significantly higher stability.

In high-entropy oxides, chromium tends to segregate during growth due to oxidation-induced migration of smaller, high-valence cations.

Researchers developed a way to precisely control dopant structures and locations in carbon-based materials.

PNNL has created and licensed a system that sniffs out trace levels of fentanyl, other drugs and explosives through the air.

Researchers developed a pathway for the solution synthesis of core–crown heterostructures with controlled electronic properties.

Under an optical field, nanoparticle attachment in a model system heavily depends on surface roughness.

Jingshan Du, a postdoctoral scientist at PNNL whose research focuses on crystallization pathways of water and other materials, was named a 2025 CAS Future Leader.

Machine learning and autonomous experimentation are poised to revolutionize how scientists grow very thin films on surfaces, important for technologies like microelectronics and quantum computing.

By combining computational modeling with experimental research, scientists identified a promising composition that reduces the need for a critical material in an alloy that can withstand extreme environments.

Chromium cations better adapt to changes in oxygen stoichiometry than iron cations.

A new generation of microelectronics research begins at PNNL.

Using interfacial charge transfer to control cation charges in oxide superlattices offers insights for designing functional heterostructures.

Calcium carbonate mineralization occurs through a multi-step process that begins with a dense liquid phase.

Postdoctoral scientist Jingshan Du received the Nanoscale Science and Technology Division Early Career Award from AVS.

Graduate student Ying Xia has been selected as a Graduate Student Award Finalist for the 2024 Materials Research Society Fall Meeting.

Controlling the nanostructure of silk fibroin—a protein found in silk—is a key step toward designing and fabricating electronics that leverage the material’s promising mechanical, optical and biocompatible properties.

Scientists are developing ways to detect previously unseen forms of fentanyl as well as other synthetic opioids known as nitazenes.