Connecting Research and Experts with Journalists

• share
• favorite_border

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.

• share
• favorite_border

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.

• share
• favorite_border

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.

• share
• favorite_border

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.

• share
• favorite_border

As nations work to eliminate carbon emissions, batteries will play a huge role.

• share
• favorite_border

Nuclear and hydrogen could be the ideal fuel for recharging electric trucks, opening potential markets for developers of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs).

• share
• favorite_border

Storm-DEPART helps utilities refine their damage estimates by combining utility infrastructure data with weather data from the National Hurricane Center to efficiently deploy restoration resources.

• share
• favorite_border

Developers seeking to deploy advanced nuclear reactors can find high market potential in states with energy-intensive industries, nuclear-friendly laws, and widespread social acceptance – factors outlined in a new report by researchers at Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

• share
• favorite_border

Idaho National Laboratory intern Jake Guidry has developed a cybersecurity research tool that could improve the security of electric vehicle charging.