Zheming Wang, a PNNL scientist, has been recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science as an AAAS Fellow. His research focuses on the chemistry underlying radioactive and advanced energy materials, with notable contributions to studying f block elements.
Researchers applied web search algorithms to prioritize critical infrastructure protection. The multilayer approach stops failure faster with fewer damaged structures than other methods. It identifies systems with influence going both ways, helping defenders prevent cascade failures.
Researchers at PNNL developed a mini flow battery test system that requires less starting material while delivering comparable performance to standard lab-scale systems. This innovation reduces time and resources needed for testing new battery materials, accelerating the discovery of grid energy storage technology.
Researchers have designed a compact, high-efficiency flow battery test system that requires an order of magnitude less starting material while delivering results comparable to standard lab-scale systems. The mini flow cell design is geared towards rapid screening and development of new battery materials, reducing the time and resources...
The Predictive Phenomics Initiative and the Exposome Moonshot aim to understand the impact of molecular signaling on organisms. Environmental factors, such as diet and lifestyle, can significantly affect biological processes, influencing traits like height, disease risk, and even eye color.
Kevin Rosso, a senior scientist at PNNL, has been recognized as a Battelle Fellow for his exceptional contributions to Earth and space science. He leads research on the role of minerals in energy storage and release, with applications in geothermal energy systems.
The US Department of Energy is investing $179 million in three Microelectronics Science Research Centers to develop next-generation microelectronics designed for extreme environments. PNNL will lead projects on neuromorphic computing, EUV lithography, and heterogeneous computing.
Researchers at PNNL have developed a solid phase alloying process that converts metal scrap into high-performance aluminum products in a single step. The process, called ShAPE, produces high-strength alloys with unique nanostructures and improved properties compared to conventional recycled aluminum.
A $13 million initiative led by PNNL has created an AI-ready searchable database of 28,212 documents, reducing the time to conduct environmental reviews from 2-4 years to minutes. The PolicyAI toolkit is currently beta testing with federal NEPA reviewers, aiming to deliver time and cost savings.
A new study finds that reversing climate change effects quickly climbs nearly fourfold soon after a tipping point is crossed. The cost of intervention also increases steeply if waiting occurs, with the degree of needed action rising over time. Researchers have quantified these costs for the first time.
A team of scientists has identified key sources of radiation that can interfere with superconducting qubits, leading to errors in quantum computing. By developing effective shielding measures, they aim to improve coherence times and pave the way for practical quantum computing.
A team of scientists and experts led by PNNL has developed a cloud computing approach to democratize access to emerging resources. They demonstrated that cloud computing can provide an agile complement to high-performance computing facilities, enabling complex chemistry workflows to be completed in days instead of months. The initiativ...
Researchers at PNNL create a uniform two-dimensional layer of silk protein fragments on graphene, enabling the design and fabrication of silk-based electronics. This biocompatible system has potential applications in wearable and implantable health sensors, as well as computing neural networks.
Researchers Gavin Cornwell, Sneha Couvillion, and Bo Peng will study bioparticles, soil microbes, and their impact on climate models. They aim to improve representations of ice nucleating particles and understand lipid exchange in soil ecosystems.
The RV Resilience, a 50-foot hybrid-electric research vessel, enables researchers to transport and install large equipment in Sequim Bay for marine energy testing. The vessel's electric mode reduces noise pollution and supports sensitive acoustic measurements.
Climate change is projected to increase hydropower generation in the US, with a 5% rise in near-term production and 10% increase in midterm. However, seasonal changes and regional variations may lead to significant decreases in some areas, such as the Southwest.
A new study finds that reduced sulfur emissions from shipping industry likely contributed to nearly 20% of record-breaking 2023 warmth, while regulations also accelerated warming. Further research is needed to understand the magnitude of climate response.
Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed new pathways for the formation of aerosol particles, which are shown to be nearly triple the amount estimated using traditional methods. The team's work improves climate models' ability to predict Earth's system changes and reduces uncertainty in aerosol-climate science.
The DOE's Visual Intellectual Property Search (VIPS) database has been launched, providing access to over 14,000 patents and 6,200 software packages developed by DOE scientists and engineers. The system aims to increase the real-world impact of research projects by making intellectual property available for licensing or open-source use.
The Pacific Northwest is launching a clean hydrogen economy with a $27.5 million Department of Energy funding award. The project aims to develop and market economical clean hydrogen power solutions to meet the United States' clean energy goal while ensuring at least 40% of the benefits flow to disadvantaged communities.
Researchers at PNNL are exploring how viruses infect algae to develop a better understanding of the pathogen-host battleground. They are also working on improving climate models by representing atmospheric aerosols more accurately and developing more efficient digital electronics.
A new AI technique uses physics-informed machine learning to create high-fidelity atmospheric transmission profiles without prior knowledge, enabling accurate remote sensing data correction. This approach enhances remote sensing capabilities for tasks like target detection, requiring limited data and computational resources.
A multidisciplinary research team has developed a predictive tool for designing complex metal alloys that can withstand extreme temperatures. By analyzing the degradation of high-entropy alloys, the team discovered universal rules that can predict oxidation behavior in these alloys.
Researchers at PNNL have developed a method to control the handedness of peptoid helices, which can be used to design precise drug delivery agents or artificial enzymes. The team's discovery could provide insights into protein assembly and potentially lead to breakthroughs in treating protein folding-related diseases.
Researchers found that male rats burn fat for energy while female rats preserve their fat mass after vigorous exercise. This sex-dependent difference was attributed to various molecular responses in fat tissue. Exercise made the fat stores of both sexes healthier, with fewer signals associated with obesity.
A new roadmap proposes a holistic approach to reducing net-zero carbon emissions by converting various parts of the economy to run on renewable electricity. The approach includes developing non-carbon fuels, finding non-fossil sources of carbon, and keeping carbon in play through circular economies.
Researchers at PNNL have developed a simple, water-based solution to separate and purify rare earth elements from e-waste. The new process uses the unique properties of metals to form solids at different rates, resulting in nearly pure minerals recovered in hours rather than days.
Researchers at PNNL have developed a safe, economical, and water-based flow battery made with commercially available industrial quantities of nitrogenous triphosphonate. The new design exhibits remarkable cycling stability over 1,000 charging cycles, outperforming previous iron-based batteries.
Scientists find that increased Asian aerosol emissions slow the AMOC's movements, reducing solar heating and cooling the Earth's climate. Reducing these emissions can help stabilize the AMOC, according to a study published in Nature Communications.
A team of experts at PNNL developed a new tool that sorts and prioritizes cyber threats on the fly, giving grid operators a clear blueprint to identify and address the biggest threats first. The approach uses hybrid attack graphs and optimization to reduce the number of potential attacks from thousands to fewer than 100.
Researchers use a new technique to isolate energetic electron motion in liquid water, providing a window into electronic structure on an attosecond timescale. This breakthrough resolves long-standing debates about X-ray signals in liquid water and opens up a new field of experimental physics.
A new proteogenomics study provides insights into how drug resistance develops in acute myeloid leukemia, offering a potential path forward for treatment. Researchers identified specific proteins and molecular locations that play a key role in determining protein activity, which could help doctors switch to alternative medications.
Researchers have developed a novel imaging method to study the intricate relationships within a fungal garden cultivated by leafcutter ants. The technique revealed crucial metabolites and enzymes driving plant degradation, highlighting the fungus as the primary degrader of plant materials.
The ShAPE technology developed at PNNL can transform 100% post-consumer scrap aluminum into usable extrusions meeting ASTM standards for strength and flexibility. This process conserves nearly all the energy required to manufacture new aluminum products, reducing dependency on imported primary aluminum and greenhouse gas emissions.
The partnership aims to leverage AI and cloud computing to accelerate scientific discovery in chemistry and materials science, two key fields for global energy challenges. PNNL researchers are testing Microsoft's Azure Quantum Elements platform to identify promising new materials for energy applications.
Researchers at DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have discovered that adding a small amount of solid carbon to copper boosts its ability to conduct electricity. The findings could lead to more efficient electricity distribution, as well as more efficient motors for electric vehicles and industrial equipment.
Researchers found that compound energy droughts can occur nationwide, with varying frequencies and durations across regions. Understanding these droughts will help grid planners prepare for energy storage needs and inform deployment of long-duration energy storage projects.
Scientists at PNNL introduced a new way to evaluate AI system recommendations by incorporating human experts' insights. Human expertise improved the accuracy of predictions and boosted confidence scores, indicating better decision-making capabilities for machine learning systems.
Scientists analyzed body fluids from firefighters after rigorous training to understand the effects of intense physical exercise on the body. They found a decrease in inflammatory signals, which can improve breathing, but also increase vulnerability to viral respiratory infections.
The Pacific Northwest is launching a hydrogen energy hub with a $7 billion investment from the Department of Energy. PNNL's expertise will support the development of clean hydrogen production and integration with renewable energy sources in Washington, Oregon, and Montana.
The study predicts a reduction in snowpack decline of less than half due to cleaner snow from reduced pollution, warming temperatures still dominate the effect. Cleaner snow can be expected in the future, reducing the impact on mountain ecosystems.
A new report from PNNL shows that floating offshore wind farms could potentially triple the Pacific Northwest's wind power capacity while offsetting millions of dollars in costs. This could lead to a significant increase in renewable energy production and help reduce carbon emissions, with the potential to power tens of million of homes.
Scientists point to non-CO2 emissions, carbon dioxide removal, and halting deforestation as key strategies to slow global warming. Current pledges fall short of the 1.5-degree goal, but adjustments in climate pledges can bring it within reach.
Scientists discovered that solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer behaves like a semiconductor, causing electron leakage and leading to inferior battery performance. Minimizing organic components in SEI enables longer-lasting batteries.
Researchers at PNNL have developed ultra-low radiation cables to minimize interference from cosmic radiation, increasing sensitivity and flexibility in detector design. These cables can help solve key mysteries of the universe, including dark matter and neutrino properties.
Scientists have detected over 300 proteins associated with lipoproteins in the central nervous system, far more than previously thought. The most common protein, apolipoprotein E (APOE), plays a key role in delivering nutrient-rich lipids and protein tools to perform tasks such as wound healing and neuron creation.
Researchers from the US and Germany report a realistic contender to measure the elusive neutrino mass using Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy. The project tracks electrons generated by beta decay to reveal the neutrino mass, aiming for scalability beyond existing technology.
Scientists at PNNL developed a new technique to detect denial-of-service attacks, which improved detection accuracy by 90% compared to current methods. The technique focuses on the evolution of entropy, a measure of disorder in a system, and is automated, requiring minimal computing power or network resources.
A new flow battery design has achieved a record-breaking 60% increase in peak power using a dissolved simple sugar called β-cyclodextrin, which boosts battery capacity and longevity. The battery maintained its energy storage and release capabilities for over a year without significant loss of activity.
A study by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory found that workers experiencing high levels of work-related distress are more likely to fall victim to phishing attacks. The researchers identified a statistically significant relationship between stress and response to simulated phishing emails, with every one-point increase in self-rep...