Nanomaterials Synthesis and Self-Assembly
Developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the award-winning self-assembled monolayers on mesoporous supports (SAMMS™) is a new class of materials that effectively, safely, and simply removes and recovers metals from liquid media, industrial waste, and produced water.
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The Chemical & Materials Sciences Division at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has developed unique capabilities in nanosynthesis and self-assembled nanostructured materials. PNNL's research in nanomaterials synthesis and assembly directly addresses the long-term Basic Energy Sciences Grand Challenges in the design and synthesis of materials with tailored properties for energy and national security missions.
PNNL research ranges from a fundamental understanding of nucleation, growth, and self-assembly principles to developing tailored nanostructured materials for catalysis, energy storage, sensing, and environmental applications. Our scientists are leading significant activities in the following areas:
- Controlled nucleation and growth of oriented nanostructures and nanostructured films
- Biotemplated synthesis of nanoporous carbon
- Self-assembled nanostructures and functional nanoporous materials
- Nanocrystalline metal oxide catalyst supports and catalysts
- Advanced energy storage materials
- In-situ nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) characterization of transport properties and interfaces in nanomaterials.
Transformational Materials Science Initiative. PNNL launched the Transformational Materials Science Initiative this year. This goal is to address the long-term, crosscutting Basic Energy Sciences Grand Science Challenges in design and controlled synthesis of novel materials with tailored properties, emerging properties from complex constituents, efficient energy conversion and storage, and advanced characterization and modeling.
Cellulose nanocrystals serve as templates for interfacial metal cation reduction in solution to form ordered arrangements of metal nanorods.
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The initiative focuses on novel approaches to synthesize and assemble multifunctional nanomaterials with well-controlled defect chemistry and architectures that can be used to control and optimize the transport and storage of charged species. Current research activities include the following:
- Multifunctional one-dimensional nanochannels and nanoarrays for efficient inter-conversion of electrical energy and chemical (or optical) energy
- Nanostructured materials with high capacity for electrical and chemical energy storage, and high strain tolerance
- Protein templated synthesis of bimetallic nanoparticles for multiplex sensing
- Advanced in-situ, high-field NMR characterization techniques
- In-situ transmission electron microscopy characterization tools
- Multiscale modeling of coupled electron-ion transport in energy storage materials.