In a recent study, PNNL researchers found that noncrystalline mineral surfaces can bind microbial residues to build soil organic matter.

Specially designed histidine-containing peptoids mimic carbonic anhydrase to accelerate calcite step growth.

PNNL researchers are opening up a new front in the fight to stop viral pathogens, protecting people against multiple viruses.

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.

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.

Seaweed could be a new source of critical minerals for electronics, vehicles, and buildings.

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

Researchers have developed the first coastal transport model for microplastics to understand how particles move in waterways and coastal currents.

Dušan Veličković, a PNNL mass spectrometry imaging scientist received a $2.1 million grant to develop techniques to understand how changes in carbohydrate structure affect human health.

This research helps predict how coastal forests will respond to future sea level changes which is crucial for protecting these ecosystems.

The Coastal Observations, Mechanisms, and Predictions Across Systems and Scales: Field, Measurements, and Experiments project established a network of observational field sites across Chesapeake Bay and western Lake Erie.

Due to their inherent variability and complexity over space and time, scientists are challenged to understand the complex interactions among soil, vegetation, and water along coastal terrestrial-aquatic interfaces.

This study characterized above- and below-ground properties to explore the spatial heterogeneity of the terrestrial aquatic interface ecosystem within the Chesapeake Bay area and evaluate the major drivers of soil respiration.

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.