Infusing data science and artificial intelligence into electron microscopy could advance energy storage, quantum information science, and materials design.

PNNL researchers devised a new method to probe the atomic structure of plutonium-containing microcrystals using laboratory-based equipment.

In recognition of Nuclear Science Week on Oct. 19-23, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory reflects on more than half a century of advancing nuclear science for the nation’s energy, environment, and security frontiers.

Five PNNL technologies were recently awarded six R&D 100 honors. The R&D 100 Awards, now in its 58th year, recognize pioneers in science and technology from industry, the federal government, and academia.

An international team used PNNL microscopy to answer questions about how uranium dioxide—used in nuclear power plants—might behave in long-term storage.

The PNNL-led IDREAM Energy Frontier Research Center is exploring complex chemical phenomena to enable innovations in radioactive waste processing.

A new radiation-resistant material for the efficient capture of noble gases xenon and krypton makes it safer and cheaper to recycle spent nuclear fuel.

A 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan that knocked out a nuclear power plant helped inspire PNNL computational scientists looking for clues of future nuclear reactor mishaps by tracking radioactive iodine.

Nuclear Process Science Initiative researchers at PNNL gain insights into the formation and rupture of high-pressure gas bubbles in nuclear fuel.

The world’s largest scientific society honored Sue B. Clark, a PNNL and WSU chemist, for contributions toward resolving our legacy of radioactive waste, advancing nuclear safeguards, and developing landmark nuclear research capabilities.

PNNL’s Nuclear Process Science Initiative (NPSI) has developed a book that examines processes used to separate nuclear materials.

WSU recently announced James Boncella will lead the WSU-PNNL Nuclear Science and Technology Institute.

PNNL and Argonne researchers developed and tested a chemical process that successfully captures radioactive byproducts from used nuclear fuel so they could be sent to advanced reactors for destruction while also producing electrical power.

A gathering of international experts in Portland, Oregon, explored the future of electron microscopy and surfaced potential solutions in areas including new instrument designs, high-speed detectors, and data analytics capabilities.

A multi-institute team develops an imaging method that reveals how uranium dioxide (UO2) reacts with air. This could improve nuclear fuel development and opens a new domain for imaging the group of radioactive elements known as actinides.

Researchers apply numerical simulations to understand more about a sturdy material and how its basic structure responds to and resists radiation. The outcomes could help guide development of the resilient materials of the future.

It’s hot in there! PNNL researchers take a close, but nonradioactive, look at metal particle formation in a nuclear fuel surrogate material. What they found will help fill knowledge gaps and could lead to better nuclear fuel designs.

Xenon search successful! A new scanning transmission electron microscope helps PNNL researchers find xenon deep in a section of nuclear fuel cladding.

Researchers used novel methods to safely create and analyze plutonium samples. The approaches could prove influential in future studies of the radioactive material, benefitting research in legacy, national security and nuclear fuels.