Materials Division
Creating new materials and applications
In the Materials Division, our research begins with a fundamental understanding of materials including their properties, how they interact, and how they behave in different environments. We build on this knowledge, computational modeling, and a suite of characterization tools to optimize material performance and design or synthesize new materials and manufacturing techniques for use in energy systems and a variety of other uses.Our research areas include:
- Fuel Cells
- Catalysis
- Nanomaterials
- Transportation Materials
- Reactor Materials
- Radiation Detection Materials
- Thin Film Energy Conversion
We are the US DOE's lead research laboratory for the development of solid oxide fuel cells. Through the Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA), which PNNL leads jointly with the National Energy Technology Laboratory, we conduct research and development in collaboration with other research organizations and industry teams who are striving to develop efficient and economical solid oxide fuel cells for multiple applications.
PNNL and the National Energy Technology Laboratory also jointly lead the High Temperature Electrochemistry Center (HiTEC) involving Montana State University, the University of Florida, and the University of Utah. The Center is supported by the US DOE's Office of Fossil Energy. Objectives of the Center are to advance solid oxide technology relevant to needs in Distributed Generation (DG) and FutureGen applications, through the development of solid oxide fuel cells, high temperature electrolyzers, reversible fuel cells, energy storage devices, gas separation membranes, thermoelectric materials, and electrochemical sensors. The Center also conducts fundamental research that aids the general development of all solid oxide technologies.
Our division comprises three technical groups:
Staff throughout the division have an outstanding record both in publication in scholarly journals and in generating patents and commercialization activities. Materials Division staff have received 13 R&D 100 Awards and 8 Federal Laboratory Consortium Technology Transfer Awards for materials-related technologies.
For more information about materials research across PNNL, including work that supports environmental and national and homeland security missions, please review our brochure. (pdf 335Kb)