Isotope Program
The Isotope Program at PNNL supports scientific advances in the production and use of radioisotopes for research, medicine, and industrial applications.
Space Science, Technology, and Policy
PNNL’s Space Science, Technology, and Policy activities draw on diverse technical expertise and research capabilities from across the Laboratory.
Josef 'Pepa' Matyas elected Fellow of ACerS
Josef "Pepa" Matyas, a materials scientist in PNNL’s Nuclear Sciences Division, has been elected a fellow of the American Ceramic Society (ACerS). He will be recognized at the ACerS annual meeting on September 30, 2019, in Portland, Ore.
Power Reactor Project is Model for Accelerated Site Review
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and PNNL partnered to complete—in record time—an environmental impact statement for the nation’s first small modular nuclear reactor, to be sited at Clinch River, Tenn.
Keeping Fast Reactor Steel in Shape
In fast-neutron reactors, fuel is sealed in ~7 millimeter diameter steel tubes called cladding. When a high-energy "fast" neutron strikes an atom in the steel, it can knock the atom out of place, like a cue ball striking another billiard ball. This leaves two types of damage in the metal: an empty spot where the atom was, and the displaced atom wedged between other atoms. Over time, these defects typically drive undesirable rearrangement of the microstructure, potentially reducing the life of the cladding.
Institute of Nuclear Materials Management Annual Meeting 2024
PNNL will be hosting and present at the INMM Annual Meeting, featuring sessions on nuclear materials, policy, safeguards, and forensics.
Plutonium Experiment Opens New Research Possibilities
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.
Interfacial Dynamics in Radioactive Environments and Materials
PNNL is the lead institution for Interfacial Dynamics in Radioactive Environments and Materials (IDREAM), an EFRC that seeks to master molecular-to-mesoscale chemical and physical phenomena at interfaces in complex environments.