News | IDREAM

Photo has text of 2024 AAAS Fellows, with the two male researchers in blue shirts on a blue background.

March 27, 2025: In the News

Two IDREAM Researchers Named AAAS Fellows

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) included two IDREAM researchers among the 471 newly elected 2024 AAAS Fellows from around the world: Xiaosong Li, University of Washington, AAAS Section on Physics, and Zheming Wang, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, AAAS Section on Chemistry.

IDREAM postdoc Amita Bedar's portrait is in a circle with a background of the scenic Univ of Notre Dame campus.

March 3, 2025: In the News

Addressing a legacy: Amita Bedar and her work on legacy nuclear waste

The University of Notre Dame features an IDREAM early career researcher in this PostDoc Spotlight on Amita Bedar.

January 13, 2025: Staff Accomplishment

Geochemist Kevin Rosso Appointed a Battelle Fellow

Kevin Rosso co-leads IDREAM's Spatiotemporal Regime 3 on Emergent Phenomena.

This scientific illustration shows red, white, and gray particles connected in rectangular clusters on a blue background representing liquid.

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.

Illustration showing the molecular structure with red, blue, and green atoms on a purple background.

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.

This scientific illustration represents the research being done in the IDREAM Energy Frontier Research Center. IDREAM stands for Ion Dynamics in Radioactive Environments and Materials. The image includes logos of the partner institutions.

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.

Hosanna Tesfa, a senior at Hanford High School, is a summer 2024 intern at PNNL. She is standing in front of a large periodic table on the wall in the Energy Sciences Center.

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.

This illustration shows red-and-blue molecules being hit by radiation and an upward arrow showing the dehydration.

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.

Xiaosong Li is pictured with a background of ultrafast molecules representing some of his research.

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.

Clusters of molecules float in a blue watery background to illustrate the formation of radicals described in the research.

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.

Carolyn Pearce reaches her left arm into a large white box that protects X-ray absorption spectroscopy instrumentation, used to determine the chemical state and local bonding structure for an atomic species in materials such as catalysts, sensors, biomaterials, thin films, and batteries.

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.

Graph overlaid on a gibbsite crystal structure

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.

Illustration showing the dissolution of gibbsite in a microscope

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.

Illustration of an AFM tip on the surface

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.

illustration showing different scales of boehmite, from atoms to the macroscale

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.

: Aluminum crystals found in radioactive Hanford tank waste

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.

A new force field will be used to study aluminate oligomerization and the early-stage nucleation of solid phases.

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.

Two panels showing the differences between the aggregation behavior of pristine and irradiated nanoplatelets

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.

Molecules with shaded structural pyramids floating on a blue-green background

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.

IDREAM leaders contributed to the DOE-BES Report on Science for Nuclear Energy Innovations

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.

Linda Young is an internationally renowned researcher at Argonne National Laboratory and part of the PNNL-led IDREAM EFRC

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.

Illustration of the molecular structures of a hydrated aluminum salt dissolving in water

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.

Illustration showing the dissolution of different sizes of particles under a cone of radiating light

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.

Illustration of a woman examining a pipe with a magnifying glass, thinking of two chemical structures

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.

Illustration of a solution being pipetted into a flask with crystals in the background

September 29, 2022: Research Highlight

Boehmite Nanoparticle Morphology Depends on pH

Simulations shows that pH influences boehmite nanoparticle structure and sorption ability.

Three circles, each showing a different molecular structure, represents IDREAM research. The parter institutions are listed across the bottom.

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.

Graduate student researcher Will Smith loads a sample into an atomic force microscope.

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.

Illustration showing blue boehmite particles aggregating, with a "zoomed in" view showing ion interactions

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.

University of Washington's Xiaosong Li is a leader in the IDREAM EFRC

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.

Multicolored image with stick and ball molecule representations surrounded by black spheres

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.

Bright illustration showing multiple molecules and "ION PAIRING" in bold letters

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.

Image showing a cartoon of water molecules undergoing energy transfer processes

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.

Image showing the movement of protons over a blue water background

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.

Fast force mapping of the boehmite interfacial solution structure

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.

Carolyn Pearce was named the IDREAM EFRC Director in March 2021

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.

IDREAM research leaders Aurora Clark and Xiaosong Li were named APS Fellows

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.

An illustration showing a teleworking researcher remotely operating scientific equipment across the country.

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.

A scientific image of molecules illustrating how aluminum salt and minerals crystallize.

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

Using vibrational sum frequency generation researchers can specifically measure surface hydroxyls, allowing quantification of their changes after exposure to ionizing radiation. Under gamma irradiation, the surface hydroxyls are preferentially cleaved as compared to those in the bulk solid, uncovering a mechanism that could lead to the creation of hydrogen gas in tank waste.

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.

Illustration showing IDREAM research into how molecules interact.

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

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.

Scientists Sue Clark and Amanda Lines use a laser for nuclear chemistry research.

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.

2016-2020

Contacts

Carolyn Pearce

Chemist; IDREAM Director

carolyn.pearce@pnnl.gov

(509) 372-4875

Melissa Perdue

Senior Communications Advisor

melissa.perdue@pnnl.gov

(509) 371-6199