Inquiry 2016, Issue 1

Adam Schwartz, Director

reserved. For additional information about Ames

Laboratory or topics covered in this publication,

please contact:

ENERGY

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF

Office of

Science

Inqui r y I s sue

| 2016

FromtheDirector

Inquiry

is published biannually by theAmes

Laboratory Office of Public Affairs. Iowa

State University operates Ames Laboratory

for the U.S. Department of Energy under

contract DE AC02 07CH11358.

Editor

, Inquiry

Ames Laboratory

111 TASF

2408 Pammel Drive

Ames, Iowa 50011-1015

www.ameslab.gov

Ames Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory seeking solutions to energy-related problems

through the exploration of chemical, engineering, materials and mathematical sciences, and physics. Established

in the 1940s with the successful development of the most efficient process to produce high-purity uranium metal

for atomic energy, Ames Laboratory now pursues much broader priorities than the materials research that has

given the Lab international credibility. Responding to issues of national concern, Ames Laboratory scientists are

actively involved in innovative research, science education programs, the development of applied technologies

and the quick transfer of such technologies to industry. Uniquely integrated within a university environment, the

Lab stimulates creative thought and encourages scientific discovery, providing solutions to complex problems and

educating and training tomorrow’s scientific talent.

Cover photo by Trevor Riedemann, Ames Lab Materials Preparation Center

Steve Karsjen

Public Affairs Director

Kerry Gibson

Editor

Laura Millsaps:

Contributing Editor

Grant Luhmann

Art Director

P A

Perfect Powder

rom its inception

, Ames Laboratory has been dedicated to materials synthesis. We

developed a method for purifying uranium as part of the Manhattan Project and later

used a similar technique to refine rare-earth metals. It’s even part of our corporate

tagline—“Creating materials and energy solutions.”

We’re home to the Critical Materials Institute, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) energy

innovation hub that focuses on technologies that make better use of materials and eliminate

the need for materials that are subject to supply disruptions. We recently were named the

lead for CaloriCool™, a new research consortium for the discovery and development of more

environmentally friendly and energy-efficient refrigeration technologies, sponsored by DOE’s

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

While we are proud of these research efforts and plan to showcase their achievements

in future issues of Inquiry, we want to focus this time on the variety of methods we employ

to actually develop new materials. It’s basic science at its best, combining experimental,

characterization and theoretical work to synthesize materials, measure their various properties and then work

to develop models that explain a particular material’s structure and how that relates to the properties observed.

That type of collaboration has also been a hallmark of Ames Laboratory.

A key method is single crystal growth, detailed on pages 8-10. By creating materials with a uniform

crystalline structure, researchers can probe their properties without having to account for the effects of grain

boundaries between crystals. It helps provide a clearer picture of what’s taking place within the material.

Conversely, we also create materials by cooling them very quickly so that their normal crystal patterns aren’t

allowed to form. Rapid-solidification (pages 11-13), which also includes gas atomization (pages 6-7), allows

for creation of materials not typically possible by other methods. The resulting properties are also out of the

ordinary in many cases.

We’re also looking at creating materials in solid state (pages 14-15) without the use of solvents or high

temperatures to drive the reaction to form new compounds. High-energy ball milling and friction are just two

of the methods being employed to form unique materials not possible by other methods.

Our inorganic chemists are busy developing nanomaterials for possible use in solar cells and catalysis

(pages 19-21). And others are studying fascinating nanoscale, two-dimensional materials (pages 16-18).

In yet another technique, we are looking at the ways Mother Nature creates beautifully complex structures

on multiple scales from atomic to macro. Biosynthesis (pages 22-23) is harnessing those natural processes to

allow creation of man-made materials by following nature’s template.

For any of these techniques to work, it’s vital to start with pure ingredients. Otherwise, you can’t know if

the resulting properties are intrinsic to the new material or caused by impurities. Fortunately, our Materials

Preparation Center (detailed on pages 4-5) provides us, and researchers throughout the world, with the perfect

ingredients we need for materials synthesis.

Materials are everywhere and in everything, and Ames Laboratory is working hard to find new materials

and new ways to create them.

On a somber note, we marked the passing of senior metallurgist and Iowa State University distinguished

professor Karl A. Gschneidner, Jr. in April. Karl was an inspiration here and around the world as the foremost

authority on rare earths. He was a dedicated scientist, colleague and friend and we miss him greatly.

Materials Preparation Center

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