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Rare earth metals are a collection of chemically similar metallic elements that tend to occur at low concentrations in nature and can be difficult to separate from one another. They are valuable for their use in electric car motors, computer hard drives, solar panels and wind turbines. Transition metals are a class of metals that are excellent conductors of heat and electricity, often with high melting points and unique structural properties, making them essential for producing common alloys like steel and copper, as well as lithium-ion battery cathodes. Currently, most of the components carrying these metals are simply disposed of. INL’s new method to extract these valuable metals involves dimethyl ether, a gaseous compound that served as one of the first commercial refrigerants. It drives fractional crystallization — a process that divides chemical substances based on their solubility — to separate rare earth elements and transition metals from magnet wastes.

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The Department of Energy complex has noted INL’s strength in testing unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs (better known as drones). Over 20 years, the lab has developed capabilities to test new platforms and evaluate technology not only for DOE but also the Department of Defense and private industry. With 890 square miles of open high-altitude desert, a secure border, and a sophisticated wireless test bed, the INL Site has proven to be a great place for testing unmanned aerial vehicles against real-world conditions like severe weather, temperature swings and day/night operations.

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The science of radiation chemistry flourished from the 1940s through the 1960s as the United States weighed the benefits of several different reactor technologies to power an energy-hungry planet. Now, as a new generation of nuclear reactor designers develop advanced molten salt reactor concepts as an alternative for providing reliable, sustainable, carbon-free power, the need for radiation chemistry has never been greater.

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Idaho National Laboratory researchers recently imaged several fossils using a powerful X-ray microscope. The 3D images will be used to create exhibits for Wyoming’s Fossil Butte National Monument and help experts gain insight into the origins of these and other relics.

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Researchers are working to find an alternative to lithium-ion batteries that, despite their use in everything from smartphones to electric vehicles, have some disadvantages, especially their relatively low energy density compared to gasoline.

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When most people hear about the state of Idaho, potatoes are probably the first thing they think of. Those famous potatoes are at the forefront of a new research project at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) as well. This research began at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when people all over the world were seeing disruptions to the production and distribution of many important goods. The pandemic inspired an interest in how resilient our nation’s production and distribution systems are, against similar large-scale social disruptions as well as climate-related impacts. An INL research team interested in addressing these challenges identified food and agriculture as one sector to better understand.

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Developing the nuclear power systems of the future requires innovative thinking and new approaches to solving complex challenges. For the first time, a team of Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and University of Idaho researchers has successfully applied machine learning to characterizing the microstructure of metallic nuclear fuel, the fine details only visible under powerful magnification. The data collected through this technique will be used by engineers to predict fuel performance more accurately as they develop fuel for the next generation of nuclear power reactors.

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Although electric vehicles provide a reliable and effective solution to the growing carbon emissions problem, some drivers question their safety. INL researchers are addressing electric vehicle battery safety concerns with the recently deployed Battery Advanced DiaGnostics Evaluation (BADGE) platform. The platform allows industry, university and government partners to directly compare management and diagnostics technologies and their abilities to detect potential safety risks.

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It’s one of the most persistent questions in nuclear energy: What about the waste? A new collaboration between Idaho National Laboratory and the University of Utah hopes to answer that question by making fuel recycling a reality for advanced reactors.

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Over the past decade, just as the invention of the silicon microchip revolutionized electronics, crystalline minerals called perovskites have helped researchers discover new, innovative electronics and energy technologies. Now, at Idaho National Laboratory, researchers are using perovskites for different energy applications: converting fuel into electricity or producing valuable chemicals such as ethylene, hydrogen or ammonia.

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The development of new, more efficient electrochemical cells could provide a good option for carbon-free hydrogen and chemical production along with large-scale electricity generation and storage. But first, scientists must overcome several challenges, including how to make the cells more efficient and cost-effective. Recently, a research team led by Idaho National Laboratory used a simple process to bind materials more tightly within protonic ceramic electrochemical cells, also known as PCECs, solving a mystery that had limited the technology’s performance. The results were published in the latest issue of the scientific journal Nature.

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The need to properly recycle electronics is not new, but it has become more of a concern due to the industry’s rapid growth. The Idaho National Laboratory-developed technology known as E-RECOV is working to combat this problem. It was developed with funding from the Department of Energy’s Critical Materials Institute.

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Recently, researchers at Spero Renewables, a California-based green technology company, tapped into Idaho National Laboratory's (INL) Technical Assistance Program to work with researchers at the Biomass Feedstocks National User Facility. The program provides U.S.-based small businesses with access to INL experts and unique capabilities at no cost. Spero is using environmentally friendly practices to manufacture renewable chemicals from plant-based materials.

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Advanced nuclear technologies could play an important role for nations seeking carbon-free energy solutions to reduce the impacts of climate change.

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Workers at Idaho National Laboratory’s Advanced Test Reactor have completed an 11-month outage for a core overhaul that occurs about every 10 years to maintain peak performance.

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Because dental enamel has unique properties that make it both rigid and resilient, it has a range of valuable applications beyond biting and chewing. No synthetic materials possess these vital innate qualities to the same degree. Creating materials with some of those qualities could have a significant impact on both clean energy and national security.