
News

January 13, 2025: Staff Accomplishment
Geochemist Kevin Rosso Appointed a Battelle Fellow
Kevin Rosso co-leads IDREAM's Spatiotemporal Regime 3 on Emergent Phenomena.

December 12, 2024: Research Highlight
Molecular-Level Understanding of How Electrolytes Affect Boehmite Particle Aggregation
New research explores the effects of electrolyte species on boehmite nanoparticle aggregation in legacy wastes.

September 18, 2024: Research Highlight
Residual Impurities Affect the Stability of Hydrogen Atoms in Irradiated Gibbsite
IDREAM research shows that hydrogen atoms released and trapped in irradiated gibbsite are destabilized by synthetic-precursor residuals.

September 18, 2024: Staff Accomplishment
Kevin Rosso Named American Geophysical Union Fellow
Chemist Kevin Rosso was elected a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union for “novel advancements in understanding and predicting the kinetics of critical environmental redox reactions in complex (bio)geochemical systems.” Rosso co-leads a Spatiotemporal Regime in the Ion Dynamics in Radioactive Environments and Materials (IDREAM) Energy Frontier Research Center. He will be honored in December at AGU24.

September 4, 2024: Feature
Tackling One of the Most Extreme Environments on Earth: Nuclear Waste
The IDREAM Energy Frontier Research Center will unravel the complex cascade of radiation chemistry that drives ion reactivity across timescales.

September 4, 2024: In the News
Department of Energy Announces $118 Million for Energy Frontier Research Centers
DOE announces a continuing four-year renewal for the Ion Dynamics in Radioactive Environments and Materials (IDREAM) EFRC, led by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

July 3, 2024: Staff Accomplishment
IDREAM Intern Hosanna Tesfa
Hosanna Tesfa joined the IDREAM research team as a Student Research Apprenticeship Program intern for summer 2024. She is a rising senior at Hanford High School in Richland, Washington. Tesfa is based at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Her focus is on learning theory, modeling, and simulation techniques to understand ion correlation and speciation to interpret experimental measurement. Tesfa’s mentors for the 10-week internship are Greg Schenter and Jaehun Chun.

June 28, 2024: Research Highlight
Ionizing Radiation Stabilizes Gibbsite and Boehmite against Decomposition
Results of IDREAM research show that, when exposed to a sufficiently high dose of ionizing radiation, gibbsite and boehmite are less susceptible to dehydration-induced breakdown.

May 16, 2024: Staff Accomplishment
Xiaosong Li Receives American Chemical Society Award for Theoretical Physical Chemistry
The ACS 2024 Jack Simons Award honor recognizes Li for his expertise in integrating chemistry with computing for fundamental science research.

April 30, 2024: Research Highlight
Attosecond X-rays Provide a Snapshot of Liquid Water
A multi-disciplinary, international team of scientists capture electronic response to ionization, with experimental work using the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

April 3, 2024: Research Highlight
Cation Effects on Radicals from Nitrite
IDREAM research shows the size of cations in highly concentrated nitrite solutions affects the production of radicals.

March 29, 2024: In the News
Chemical & Engineering News feature
This C&EN "Movers and Shakers" article features IDREAM Director Carolyn Pearce and her focus on understanding the complex chemistry that is key to the safe long-term storage of the US’s nuclear waste legacy.

February 15, 2024: News Release
First-Ever Atomic Freeze-Frame of Liquid Water
Scientists report the first look at electrons moving in real-time in liquid water; findings published in Science open up a whole new field of experimental physics.

February 6, 2024: Research Highlight
Surface Defects and pH Alter Gibbsite Dissolution Mechanisms
Differences in water interactions lead to two gibbsite dissolution pathways modulated by solution acidity.

January 2, 2024: Research Highlight
Directly Measuring X-Ray Enhanced Dissolution of Gibbsite
Irradiation in a sodium hydroxide solution increases the dissolution rate and particle roughness of gibbsite compared to dry irradiation.

December 19, 2023: Article
Mapping the Assembly of Hybrid Materials
Bringing 3D atomic force microcopy expertise to a project focused on understanding how hybrid bio-based nanomaterials assemble.

November 21, 2023: Article
Predicting Nanoparticle Assembly Across Scales
IDREAM researchers have developed a comprehensive and predictive picture of boehmite nanomaterials, starting at the atomic level and ending with measuring the structure of aggregates several micrometers in size.

September 26, 2023: Article
IDREAM Poem Takes First Place in DOE Poetry of Science Art Contest
A poem inspired by radioactive tank waste—“Can a Scientist Dream it Alone?”—describes how it takes a diverse team of researchers to solve one of the nation’s most complex chemical challenges. Judges awarded the IDREAM poem first place in the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Poetry of Science Art Contest.

August 29, 2023: Feature
A Brave and Daring Poem by the IDREAM Team
DOE "Poetry of Science Art Contest" entry aims to educate and inspire; public voting ends September 15.

August 4, 2023: Staff Accomplishment
IDREAM researcher receives DOE 2023 Early Career Research Program award
Geochemist Ben Legg will study how different surface properties influence the formation of “light” and “heavy” rare earth element materials.

July 31, 2023: Research Highlight
A New Efficient Reactive Force Field for Studying Aluminum Chemistry
Keeping only the most important two- and three-body terms in reactive force fields can decrease computational cost by one order of magnitude, while preserving satisfactory accuracy.

April 28, 2023: Research Highlight
Understanding How Radiation Affects Boehmite Nanoplatelet Aggregation
Irradiated boehmite nanoplatelets form smaller aggregates and have a rougher surface than non-irradiated platelets.

March 6, 2023: Staff Accomplishment
Rosso named American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow
Kevin Rosso, a geochemist and IDREAM leader, is best known for his pioneering research on electron transfer reactions between aqueous ions, mineral surfaces, and bacterial enzymes.

February 28, 2023: Research Highlight
Identifying What Controls Reactivity in Concentrated Alkaline Aluminate Solutions
Hydrogen bonding and proton transfer control the identity and reactivity of molecules in highly concentrated and alkaline aluminate solutions.

January 27, 2023: Staff Accomplishment
DOE Roundtable on Nuclear Energy Innovation Includes Three IDREAM Leaders
The “Foundational Science to Accelerate Nuclear Energy Innovation” roundtable discussion convened by the DOE Office of Science Basic Energy Sciences has released an initial summary of priority research opportunities. IDREAM Director Carolyn Pearce, Science Advisory Board member James Wishart, and radiation physicist Jay LaVerne were invited participants.

January 3, 2023: Staff Accomplishment
Uppsala University Confers Honorary Doctorate on Young
IDREAM researcher Linda Young of Argonne National Laboratory has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Uppsala University in Sweden for her pioneering expertise in basic atomic and molecular physics and in ultrafast chemical dynamics.

December 2, 2022: Research Highlight
Structural Insights into How Ions in Basic Solutions Transform
Researchers identified a new intermediate phase that forms during the crystallization of hydrated aluminum-containing salts.

November 11, 2022: Staff Accomplishment
PNNL Community S&T Seminar Series features IDREAM overview
IDREAM Early Career Network leaders Emily Nienhuis and Lixin Lu present “Unraveling the Complex Chemistry of Hanford Site Nuclear Tank Waste” on Nov. 15 as part of PNNL’s Community S&T Seminar Series.

October 28, 2022: Research Highlight
Watching the Behavior of Irradiated Boehmite Particles
The amount of radiation in a system influences how fast aggregated boehmite particles dissolve.

September 29, 2022: Feature
Understanding the Structure of a Complex Mineral
Developing a new understanding of the structure of natrophosphate, a complex mineral found in radioactive tank waste at the Hanford Site, by integrating experimental techniques.

September 29, 2022: Research Highlight
Boehmite Nanoparticle Morphology Depends on pH
Simulations shows that pH influences boehmite nanoparticle structure and sorption ability.

September 21, 2022: Feature
University of Utah Joins IDREAM EFRC Institutional Partners
The PNNL-led research partnership focused on the chemistry of nuclear waste also announced new leadership roles for representatives of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Colorado State University, and the University of Washington.

August 3, 2022: Staff Accomplishment
IDREAM Researcher Selected for Prestigious Graduate Student Program
William Smith from Washington State University is a DOE Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) awardee, conducting data and computational sciences for materials and chemical sciences as part of the IDREAM EFRC Early Career Network.

July 28, 2022: Research Highlight
Ion Specific Effects Drive Boehmite Aggregation
The size and concentration of ions influences the aggregation behavior of solutions of boehmite.

June 22, 2022: Staff Accomplishment
Xiaosong Li named UW’s Associate Vice Provost for Research Cyberinfrastructure
As the University of Washington's Associate Vice Provost for Research Cyberinfrastructure, Xiaosong Li will oversee advanced research computing, data management, and big data systems, including the faculty governance of Hyak, the UW’s on-premises high performance super computer.

June 6, 2022: Research Highlight
Crystal Structures Reveal Hydrogen-Bonding Patterns in Concentrated Aluminate Solutions
IDREAM researchers gain insight into how the size of the alkali metal within the material influences the crystallization pathway.

May 6, 2022: Research Highlight
Characterizing Force Networks to Understand Dynamics of Non-Newtonian Fluids
Performing a network analysis of forces between particles reveals new insight into shear induced thinning and thickening in non-Newtonian fluids.

April 21, 2022: Research Highlight
Ion Pairing of Nitrite in Caustic Multicomponent Electrolytes
IDREAM researchers show that high concentrations of sodium hydroxide significantly impact the molecular and macroscale properties of sodium nitrite solutions.

April 8, 2022: Research Highlight
Discovering New Kinds of Crystal Defects
IDREAM researchers use a multi-instrument approach to unearth new defects during gibbsite crystallization.

March 4, 2022: Research Highlight
Novel Energy Exchange Mechanisms Lead to Water Ionization and Desorption from Nanoparticle Interfaces
Newly determined energy transfer mechanisms help identify how water releases from and damages irradiated interfaces.

February 23, 2022: Research Highlight
Unraveling Water Radiolysis on Ultrafast Timescales
Developing an understanding through IDREAM research of how water breaks apart after radiation exposure.

February 7, 2022: Research Highlight
The Shape of Water
IDREAM researchers use fast force mapping to provide insights into the boehmite interfacial solution structure.

February 4, 2022: Research Highlight
Reviewing Radiation’s Effects on Materials
IDREAM researchers assess the potential of photon-in/photon-out XFEL techniques to explore early time reaction steps and ultimately improve nuclear waste processing strategies.

January 28, 2022: Staff Accomplishment
Pearce Appointed Honorary Professor at University of Manchester
IDREAM Director Carolyn Pearce was named an honorary professor by the University of Manchester in England for her research expertise in radioactively contaminated environments and nuclear legacy waste retrieval and processing.

December 17, 2021: Staff Accomplishment
IDREAM Leaders Elected as APS Fellows
Two IDREAM EFRC leaders were elected as Fellows of the American Physical Society: Aurora Clark, Washington State University professor and IDREAM Cross-Cut Lead; and Xiaosong Li, University of Washington professor and IDREAM Early Career Network Director.

October 20, 2021: Staff Accomplishment
IDREAM “Science in the Time of Covid” Illustration Takes Home People’s Choice Award
IDREAM wins Department of Energy art contest with entry that illuminates how scientists pivoted during pandemic to accomplish critical nuclear research.

September 29, 2021: Feature
IDREAM Illustrates Reality of Research During Covid-19
Department of Energy art contest entry illuminates how IDREAM scientists pivoted during pandemic to accomplish critical nuclear research.

September 1, 2021: Research Highlight
Unlocking the Secrets of Aluminum Salt Crystallization
IDREAM study characterizes chemical species and mechanisms that control aluminum salt and mineral crystallization for nuclear waste retrieval, processing

May 6, 2021: Research Highlight
Understanding the Surface Chemistry of Nuclear Waste
Researchers gained insight into the interfacial radiation chemistry of radioactive waste sludge through studies of surface functional groups on model aluminum-containing solids.

April 28, 2021: Staff Accomplishment
Xiaosong Li Honored with University of Washington’s Distinguished Teaching Award
IDREAM's Early Career Network director and a computational chemist, Li was selected based on his ability to foster a rich, positive, and encouraging learning environment.

April 28, 2021: Research Highlight
Discovering the Chemical Processes that Underpin Aluminum Solubility in Nuclear Waste
IDREAM researchers have discovered the chemical processes that underpin gibbsite solubility in sodium hydroxide, including sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite interactions.

April 16, 2021: Staff Accomplishment
Pearce Takes Reins of IDREAM Research as New Director
Carolyn Pearce has been named the new director and lead principal investigator of the multi-institutional, interdisciplinary Interfacial Dynamics in Radioactive Environments and Materials (IDREAM) Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC).

November 30, 2020: Research Highlight
Protective Coatings Impact Material Life Span
The PNNL-led IDREAM Energy Frontier Research Center is exploring complex chemical phenomena to enable innovations in radioactive waste processing. The IDREAM team focuses on understanding the behavior of metal ions dissolved in caustic solutions and precipitated as mineral solids that makes waste processing problematic.

August 25, 2020: Feature
Extreme Chemistry of Nuclear Wastes
The PNNL-led IDREAM Energy Frontier Research Center is exploring complex chemical phenomena to enable innovations in radioactive waste processing. The IDREAM team focuses on understanding the behavior of metal ions dissolved in caustic solutions and precipitated as mineral solids that makes waste processing problematic.

February 4, 2020: Staff Accomplishment
European Association of Geochemistry bestows 2020 Science Innovation Award to Kevin Rosso
Kevin Rosso, who leads IDREAM research thrust 2 and cross-cut thrust 2, has been selected to receive the 2020 Science Innovation Award from the European Association of Geochemistry.

January 10, 2020: Staff Accomplishment
Clark Recognized for Nuclear Chemistry Research
The world’s largest scientific society honored Sue B. Clark, a PNNL and WSU chemist and Director of IDREAM, for contributions toward resolving our legacy of radioactive waste, advancing nuclear safeguards, and developing landmark nuclear research capabilities.