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Adam Schwartz, Director
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FromtheDirector
Inquiry
is published biannually by theAmes
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State University operates Ames Laboratory
for the U.S. Department of Energy under
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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.
Steve Karsjen
:
Public Affairs Director
Kerry Gibson
:
Editor
Laura Millsaps:
Contributing Editor
Grant Luhmann
:
Art Director
10
P A
G
E
cientists describe momentum
as the quantity of motion of a moving body,
measured as a product of its mass and velocity. A more general definition might
describe it as the forward motion resulting from applying a driving force behind
something. By that yardstick, Ames Laboratory has a number of efforts gathering
momentum.
Our Sensitive Instrument Facility (SIF) opened its doors this past spring, and a growing
number of users are taking advantage of its state-of-the-art microscopy equipment to
characterize materials in unprecedented detail. We were delighted to have Energy Secretary
Ernest Moniz on hand for the SIF dedication ceremony. Work is now underway to move three
additional pieces of research equipment to the space to take full advantage of the building’s
isolation from outside interference and the proximity to the existing electron microscopes.
See what’s happening on pages 7-9.
We launched a new research consortium called CaloriCool
TM
in 2016 with the idea that
refrigeration could be radically better—cheaper, cleaner, more precise and energy-efficient—by abandoning
vapor-compression technology for something entirely new: a solid-state caloric system. Established under
DOE’s Energy Materials Network and overseen by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy,
CaloriCool brings together national labs, industry, and academia, including Pacific Northwest and Oak Ridge
National Laboratories, the University of Maryland, Pennsylvania State University, and Citrine Informatics.
And this research team plans to do it—including adoption into manufactured systems and products—within
a decade. Read more about it on pages 10-11.
We’re also involved in two separate Advanced Manufacturing Office efforts. Iver Anderson’s group leads
a $5 million effort to improve the production and composition of metal alloy powders used in additive
manufacturing, more commonly known as 3D printing. And Matt Kramer, Ryan Ott and Pete Collins will
be working with colleagues at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory to characterize what happens with those powders
in situ
as the powders are being laid down,
melted, and resolidified during the 3D printing process. Find out more about this work on pages 12-13.
The Critical Materials Institute, a DOE Energy Innovation Hub led by Ames Laboratory, continues to do
ground-breaking work to make better use of materials and eliminate the need for materials that are subject
to supply disruptions. In its three years of existence, CMI has 47 invention disclosures to its credit and has
developed eight new goals for the final two years of its initial five-year funding cycle. You can find out what
those efforts are on pages 14-15.
Finally, after an international search, we are pleased to have hired Dimitri Argyriou as chief research officer.
A condensed matter physicist, Dimitri comes to the Ames Laboratory from the European Spallation Source,
where he served as its Director of Science and Head of Operations Planning.
With all this progress, we look forward to 2017 and the 70th anniversary of the founding ofAmes Laboratory.
A lot has changed in seven decades, but we are still committed to creating materials and energy solutions.
S
Cooler in10
Meet theNewCRO
6
Newly dedicated,
expanding capabilities
7
Better Powders
AdvanceAdditive
Manufacturing
12
14
Early successes lead to new and bigger challenges
CriticalMaterials Institute:
4
AWARDS