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.

A PNNL team has developed an energy- and chemical-efficient method of separating valuable critical minerals from dissolved solutions of rare earth element magnets.

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.

Lauren Charles, a chief data scientist at PNNL, showcased the vital research coming out of her program at The National Academies Forum workshop in Washington, D.C., January 15–16, 2025.

Surface manganese mining from nodules in South Dakota is now possible with a new scalable selective precipitation process.

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.

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

Cobalt substitution for magnesium in a model mafic mineral dramatically slows reaction with carbon dioxide to form a cobalt-doped carbonate.

PNNL’s year in review includes highlights ranging from advancing soil science to understanding Earth systems, expanding electricity transmission, detecting fentanyl, and applying artificial intelligence to aid scientific discovery.

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.

Precipitation with sodium hydroxide in a flow-gel device enables the rapid extraction of magnesium from seawater in a new scalable process.

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.

A newly funded project will develop the fundamental understanding of phenomena that underpin material properties important for quantum applications.