Chemical Processes and Applied Technologies
Contact Us
- GroupLeader
- Peter Stark
- Deputy Group Leader
- Dan Kelly
- Group Office
- (505) 667-5740
Material Synthesis and Extraction, Chemical Separations, and Polymer Development
![3 eV neutral O-atom nanoscale high-aspect-ratio etching of masked polyimide films by ENABLE](images/enable-thin-film-etching.jpg)
The Chemical Processes and Applied Technologies Team in the Chemical Diagnostics and Engineering group of the Chemistry Division provides support to a variety of projects at Los Alamos National Laboratory with benefits to the local community and support for global environmental efforts.
Capabilities
- Particle / suspension properties
- Analytical centrifugation
- Particle settling behavior and stability
- Broad ultrasonic filtration capabilities and assessments
- Membrane screening and performance characteristics
- Centrifugation dynamics
![Ultrasonic separation](images/ultrasonic-separation.jpg)
![Separations Technology Development Graph](https://cms.lanl.gov/render/file.act?path=org/ddste/aldcels/chemistry/chemical-diagnostics-engineering/chemical-processes-and-applied-technologies/images/separations-technology-development.png)
![Separations Technology Settling Behavior Graph](https://cms.lanl.gov/render/file.act?path=org/ddste/aldcels/chemistry/chemical-diagnostics-engineering/chemical-processes-and-applied-technologies/images/settling-behavior.jpg)
Projects
- Microalgae dewatering
- Biomaterials separations for biofuels production
- Mineral ultrasonic filtration
- Heat source solids recovery
Capabilities
- Expanded synthetic actinide capabilities
- Materials synthesis
- 433 sq ft non-rad lab
- Inert single and double gloveboxes
![synthetic actinides](images/cde-synthetic-actinides.jpg)
![Advanced nuclear reactor fuels](images/cde-adv-nuc-reactor-fuels.jpg)
![Ion-exchange resins and boron-filled polymers](images/cde-ion-exhange-resins.jpg)
Projects
- Air-free actinide synthesis and characterization
- Advanced Gen IV nuclear reactor fuels
- Materials synthesis
- Developing Pu new capability based on new synthetic actinide gloveboxes
- Surface functionalization actinide organometallic complexes
![Synthetic actinide double glove box](images/double-glovebox.jpg)
ENABLE (Energetic Neutral Atom Beam Lithography & Epitaxy) is a unique MBE-type film growth technology that uses a high-flux beam of energetic neutral nitrogen or oxygen atoms with kinetic energies of 1 to 5 eV to overcoming reaction barriers intrinsic to thin film growth. The system allows high growth rates of a wide variety of epitaxial, highly-crystalline, wide-bandgap nitride and oxide semiconducting films with excellent physical, optical, and electronic properties.
Capabilities
- Growth of wide- and ultra-wide bandgap nitride and oxide semiconductors
- Development of tunable bandgap Indium-Gallium-Aluminum Nitride films
- Growth of Boron-rich nitride semiconductors
- Growth of Niobium Nitride ultrathin films
- High-aspect-ratio nanoscale polymer etching
![The ENABLE System](images/enable.jpg)
![nanoscale high-aspect-ratio etching of masked polyimide films by ENABLE](images/enable-nanoscale-highaspectratio-etching.png)
Projects
- High-power/high-frequency power electronics
- Energy applications involving solid state lighting, photovoltaics, and photoelectrochemical water splitting (hydrogen production)
- Solid-state neutron detectors
- Superconducting nanowire single photon detection based on ultrathin films
- Novel devices based on high-aspect-ratio structures
OREATE being developed at LANL is considered the answer to producing high-end actinide metal products with near quantity yield. This process can be used to produce an efficient and clean metal feed and as a post-process for recycling of purified material that resulted in chemical conversion (ie. oxidation).
![OREATE Lab](images/oreate-lab.jpg)
Capabilities
- Electroanalytical chemistry
- Electrochemical processes involving transition metals, lanthanides and actinides chemistry
- Thermal extraction of metals by mercury distillation
![Electrochemical amalgamation](images/electrochemical-amalgamation.jpg)
![Thermal Extraction](images/metal-recovery-and-recycling.jpg)
Projects
- Electrochemical reduction and dissolution of metal oxides
- Purification of transition metals, lanthanides and actinides
- Preparation of pure metal feeds for isotope separations
- Recovery and recycling of metals of interest from waste streams
Capabilities
- Compressive 2-Dimensional GC Separations using Quad-Jet Thermo Modulator
- High-Resolution Exact Mass Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer
- Liquid Injection, Headspace, and SPME Analysis
![Leco Pegasus 4D HRT+ GCxGC-TOFMS](images/leco-pegasus-4d-hrt.tif.jpg)
![High Resolution GC/MS-TOF](images/high-res-gcms-tof-results1.jpg)
Projects
- Metabolomics
- Chemical Forensics
- Petroleum and Biofuels
- Environmental Monitoring
- Essential Oils and Fragrances
Capabilities
- Machine Learning accelerated biopolymer discovery, design, and development
- Synthesis and analysis of new biopolymers
- Development of transparent shielding polymers
- Removal of silica scale
Synthesis of Bioplastics
![Linear economy versus Circular economy](images/bioplastics-circular-economy.jpg)
![Synthesis of bioplastics](images/bioplastics-p3hb.jpg)
Transparent Shielding Polymers
![Transparent shielding](images/transparent-shielding1.jpg)
![Transparent shielding polymers](images/transparent-shielding-polymers.jpg)
Silica Scale Removal from Utilities
![Before and after images showing removal of silica scale buildup](images/silica-scale-removal.jpg)
![gamma alumina to carboxylate alumoxane](images/carboxylate-alumoxane.jpg)
Projects
- Microalgae-derived biopolymers developed to produce novel bioplastics to replace petroleum-based plastics and reinvent the lifecycle of plastics
- Development of low-cost, lightweight, and more effective transparent shielding polymers
- Silica scale reduction at LANL utility sites
- Development of simple, inexpensive methods of reducing silica concentration in local water supplies