About

Separations and Materials Research is a unique group within the Energy and Engineering Science Directorate and the Nuclear Science and Technology Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Our chemists and chemical engineers conduct basic and applied research on a variety of crosscutting topics to create transformational solutions for energy and other U.S. needs related to environment, security, and national competitiveness.

Our sponsors within the US Department of Energy include multiple programs of the Office of Science and several DOE mission offices, including the Office of Fossil Energy and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. In addition, we conduct work for external sponsors, including other federal agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security and the DOD/DOE/EPA Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program.

Current technical focus areas include:

• High-performance computing for chemical and nuclear applications
• Process intensification for improved efficiency
• Gas hydrates research for energy production and carbon sequestration
• Nanostructured materials for fuel cells, solar cells, and energy storage
• Molecular simulations for prediction of thermophysical properties
• Alternative fuels and chemical feedstocks for reduced dependence on fossil fuels
• Materials solutions for nuclear waste storage
• Ionic liquid solvents for efficient chemical processes and radiochemical separations
• Novel materials for radiation detection
• Nanomanufacturing
  

We actively collaborate with researchers in industry, academia, and other national laboratories. Several group members are adjunct faculty and/or joint faculty at core universities of ORNL, and we host a large number of students and guest researchers each year to work in our laboratories.

We are active in a number of external activities, including:

• Joint and Adjunct Faculty:
  • Georgia Institute of Technology
  • University of Tennessee
  • Nanjing University of Technology
    
• Conference Organization:
  • Symposia on Separations Science and Technology for Energy Applications
  • Symposium Series for Nanomaterials and Nanotechnologies, American Ceramic Society
  • Process Intensification and Innovation Process (PI)2 Conference II –
    Cleaner, Sustainable, Efficient Technologies for the Future
    
• Journal Editorial Boards:
  • Journal of Nanomaterials
  • Separation Science and Technology
  • Journal of Dispersion Science and Technology

Publications

• FY07
• FY06