What A Crystal Reveals About Nuclear Materials Processing
Pacific Northwest National LaboratoryPNNL researchers devised a new method to probe the atomic structure of plutonium-containing microcrystals using laboratory-based equipment.
PNNL researchers devised a new method to probe the atomic structure of plutonium-containing microcrystals using laboratory-based equipment.
The Ocean Observing Prize seeks competitors for an incentive prize program to help inventors advance new concepts for marine energy technologies that can power ocean observing systems. This phase focuses on observing platforms that host instruments that can provide better data regarding hurricane formation.
Researchers at PNNL have increased the conductivity of composite copper wire by 5%. That small percentage can make a big difference in motor efficiency. The laboratory teamed with General Motors to test out the souped-up copper wire for use in vehicle motor components, as part of a cost-shared research project.
PNNL researchers used machine learning to explore the largest water clusters database, identifying – with the most accurate neural network – important information about hydrogen bonds and the structural patterns of this life-essential molecule.
PNNL has deployed (10/8/20) two research buoys in waters off the West Coast for the first time in deep water, supporting a U.S. Department of Energy and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management effort to gather measurements that support offshore wind locations and technologies.
Dust blowing onto high mountains in the western Himalayas is a bigger factor than previously thought in hastening the melting of snow there, researchers show in a study published Oct. 5 in Nature Climate Change. That’s because dust – lots of it in the Himalayas – absorbs sunlight, heating the snow that surrounds it.
A shoe scanner that would allow people to keep on their footwear as they pass through airport security and a cement that repairs itself are among five PNNL R&D 100 Award recipients. PNNL now has garnered a total of 116 since the program’s inception.
PNNL researchers used machine learning to develop a tool for a nonprofit to identify orthopedic implants in X-ray images to improve surgical speed and accuracy
PNNL scientists are using an advanced mathematical tool called hypergraphs to identify how human cells respond to viral infection, including the new coronavirus.
Amy Borde and coauthors at PNNL’s Marine and Coastal Research Laboratory developed a new predictive modeling tool for estuarine–tidal river research and management. A decade in the making, the innovative framework provides a means for understanding how both natural and human forces govern hydrology and plant communities in these complex wetland ecosystems, now and into the future.
O'Neill to lead organization that advances scientific understanding of the ways in which human, energy and environmental systems interact, and has provided input to the White House, Congress, United Nations and other national and international governing and advising bodies.
As extreme weather and other events increase in frequency and intensity, cybercriminals ramp up attacks on technologies that tie together urban infrastructure systems, networks critical to the flow of data, people, goods, and services must be made more resilient to failure, according to a team of scientists.
Researchers from PNNL and UW analyzed kits that could be used as a critical part of a laboratory test used to detect COVID-19 in a sample from an infected person. As a result, two additional kits have been listed as options that labs can consider using, boosting the supply of chemicals and supplies linked to a critical step in the testing process.
PNNL researchers outline how to convert stranded biomass to sustainable fuel using electrochemical reduction reactions in mini-refineries powered by renewable energy.
First-ever measurements provide evidence that supercooled liquid water exists in two distinct structures that co-exist and vary in proportion dependent on temperature
The PNNL-developed VOLTTRON™ software platform’s advancement has benefited from a community-driven approach. The technology has been used in buildings nationwide, including most recently on a university campus.
Data-mining software developed at PNNL is helping analysts keep tabs on developments related to COVID-19. The technology automates the process of combing through tens of thousands of articles each day to provide relevant information about active and emerging biothreats, including the current pandemic.
PNNL, in partnership with industry, has developed a computational tool called HIPPO, which accelerates the increasingly complex calculations grid operators must make in scheduling energy resources to meet the next day’s forecasted electricity demand.
Post-9/11, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory plays a critical role in nearly every layer of the country’s national security.
PNNL is one of 12 institutions in nine states taking part in a five-year, $20 million NSF-funded molecular-level research effort exploring the transformation, interactions, and impact of various nanomaterials released into the environment.
Scientists at PNNL have developed a tool called WatchOwl to collect more than 4 million tweets per day related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The scientists use natural language processing and deep learning to analyze tweets and reactions related to interventions like social distancing and movement restrictions.
An international team used PNNL microscopy to answer questions about how uranium dioxide—used in nuclear power plants—might behave in long-term storage.
PNNL biologists have developed a more efficient way to estimate salmon survival through dams that uses solid science but saves over 42 percent of the cost.
Radiation from natural sources in the environment can limit the performance of superconducting quantum bits, known as qubits. The discovery, reported in the journal Nature, has implications for the construction and operation of quantum computers.
The PNNL-led IDREAM Energy Frontier Research Center is exploring complex chemical phenomena to enable innovations in radioactive waste processing.
From oil refining to automobile pollution-control devices to the bulk of pharmaceuticals, platinum-group metals are the go-to choice for facilitating chemical reactions. It’s been that way for decades. But a new review article in the August 14 issue of the journal Science, led by first author Morris Bullock of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, provides a road map toward greater use of Earth-abundant metals, which would reduce cost and environmental impact.
The city of Chicago has replaced 210,000 street lights with state-of-the-art LEDs through its energy-efficient street lighting initiative. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory lent its technical expertise to the team - led by the Chicago Department of Transportation - to help identify the best lighting technology and field validation approaches to Chicago’s outdoor lighting modernization effort.
Researchers from PNNL have helped colleagues at OHSU identify lipid molecules required for Zika infection in human cells. The specific lipids involved could also be a clue to why the virus primarily infects brain tissue.
A new PNNL report says the western U.S. bulk power system can reliably support projected growth of up to 24 million electric vehicles through 2028, but challenges will arise as EV adoption grows beyond that threshold. This study is the most comprehensive of its kind, integrating multiple variables not evaluated before, such as growth in commercial delivery fleets and long-haul trucks, as well as large-scale and long-term EV charging scenarios and strategies.
A PNNL-developed technology that can quickly detect explosive vapors, deadly chemicals and illicit drugs with unparalleled accuracy has been named the 2020 Innovation of the Year by GeekWire, the Seattle-based technology news company.
Pioneering materials scientist James De Yoreo receives Distinguished Scientist Fellow award. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science bestows one of its highest honors on PNNL materials scientist.
To help spur economic development and assist in the battle against COVID-19, PNNL is making available its entire portfolio of patented technologies on a research trial basis—at no cost—for six months.
On World Oceans Day, an international team of marine scientists reports that the potential impact of marine renewable energy to marine life is likely small or undetectable, though there is still uncertainty around some issues.
Ongoing environmental changes are transforming forests worldwide, resulting in shorter and younger trees. Researchers found that a range of factors, including rising temperatures and carbon dioxide levels, have caused a dramatic decrease in the age and stature of forests.
A technology developed by researchers at PNNL could pave the way for increased fuel economy and lower greenhouse gas emissions as part of an octane-on-demand fuel-delivery system. The system separates ethanol-blended gasoline into high- and low-octane fuel components, metering out the appropriate fuel mixture to the engine depending on the power required.
A new study comparing cancerous tissue with normal fallopian tube samples advances important insights about the rogue cellular machinery that drives a majority of ovarian cancers.
Software vulnerabilities are more likely to be discussed on social media before they’re revealed on a government reporting site, a practice that could pose a national security threat, according to computer scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
Scientists have traced the molecular connections between genetics, the gut microbiome and memory in a mouse model bred to resemble the diversity of the human population. Researchers from two U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories identified lactate, a molecule produced by all species of one gut microbe, as a key memory-boosting molecular messenger.
Scientists have come up with a novel way to use silicon as an energy storage ingredient. They’ve developed a nanostructure incorporating carbon nanotubes to strengthen the material and modify the way silicon interacts with lithium, a key component in batteries used in electric cars and other devices.
Scientists have deployed artificial intelligence to identify more of the billions of metabolites that are currently unknown. The small molecules underlie and inform every aspect of our lives, including energy production, the fate of the planet, and our health. “Beast Mode” helps explain how they did it.
PNNL scientist Garry Buchko is part of a nationwide network exploring the complex 3D structures of the 27 proteins of the novel coronavirus, each part of the molecular toolkit that the virus uses to infect, replicate and spread. Creating atomic-level pictures of the protein structures is a crucial first step toward mucking up the virus’s inner workings.
Scientists have taken an unprecedented look at proteins involved in endometrial cancer, commonly known as uterine cancer. The study offers insights about which patients will need aggressive treatment and which won’t, and offers clues about why a common cancer treatment is not effective with some patients.
The first hours of a lithium-ion battery’s life largely determine just how well it will perform. In those moments, a set of molecules self-assembles into a structure inside the battery that will affect the battery for years to come. Now scientists have witnessed the formation of the solid-electrolyte interphase at a molecular level.
Radioactive materials are a critical tool in a number of industrial applications particularly oil and gas drilling and welding. While these sources are safe and well-regulated for their intended use; if lost or stolen the materials could be used by terrorists to make dirty bombs. The Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developed and licensed a technology system to keep track of and secure radiological material on the road or at job sites.
A protein newly identified as important in type 1 diabetes can delay onset of the disease in diabetic mice, providing a new target for prevention and treatment in people, according to research led by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Indiana University School of Medicine.
Researchers at PNNL are contributing artificial intelligence, machine learning, and app development expertise to a U of W project that will ease challenges with urban freight delivery. The project will provide delivery drivers with a tool to identify open parking spots in congested areas where parking is typically at a premium.
A new approach developed by PNNL scientists improves the accuracy of patient diagnosis up to 20 percent when compared to other embedding approaches.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is the recipient of two R&D 100 awards and one gold medal.
Scientists have uncovered a root cause of the growth of needle-like structures—known as dendrites and whiskers—that plague lithium batteries, sometimes causing a short circuit or failure. The defects are a major factor holding back the batteries from broader widespread use and further improvement.
Scientists from DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, DOE’s Sandia National Laboratories, and the Georgia Institute of Technology will collaborate on solutions to some of the most challenging problems in AI today, thanks to $5.5 million in funding from DOE.