Skip to main content

PNNL

  • About
  • News & Media
  • Careers
  • Events
  • Research
    • Scientific Discovery
      • Biology
        • Ecosystem Science
        • Human Health
          • Cancer Biology
        • Integrative Omics
          • Advanced Metabolomics
          • Instrument Development & Deployment
          • Nanoscale Proteomics
        • Microbiome Science
          • Human Microbiome
          • Soil Microbiome
      • Chemistry
        • Catalysis
        • Chemical Physics
      • Computational Research
        • Artificial Intelligence
        • Computational Mathematics & Statistics
        • Graph and Data Analytics
        • High-Performance Computing
        • Software Engineering
        • Visual Analytics
      • Earth & Coastal Sciences
        • Atmospheric Science
        • Coastal Science
        • Ecosystem Science
        • Plant Science
        • Subsurface Science
        • Terrestrial Aquatics
      • Materials Science
        • Solid Phase Processing
        • Science of Interfaces
        • Precision Materials by Design
        • Materials in Extreme Environments
      • Nuclear & Particle Physics
        • Dark Matter
        • Neutrino Physics
        • Flavor Physics
        • Fusion Energy Science
      • Quantum Information Science
    • Energy Resiliency
      • Electric Grid Modernization
        • Distribution
        • Transmission
        • Grid Architecture
        • Grid Analytics
          • AGM Program
        • Grid Cybersecurity
        • Emergency Response
      • Energy Efficiency
        • Building Technologies
          • Advanced Building Controls
          • Building-Grid Integration
          • Advanced Lighting
        • Residential Buildings
          • Energy Efficient Technology Integration
          • Home Energy Score
          • Building America Solution Center
        • Commercial Buildings
        • Federal Buildings
          • Federal Performance Optimization
          • Resilience and Security
        • Building Energy Codes
        • Appliance and Equipment Standards
      • Energy Storage
        • Grid Energy Storage
        • Vehicle Energy Storage
      • Environmental Management
        • Environmental Remediation
        • Waste Processing
        • Radiation Measurement
      • Fossil Energy
        • Carbon Management
          • Carbon Capture
          • Carbon Storage
          • Carbon Utilization
        • Subsurface Energy Systems
        • Advanced Hydrocarbon Conversion
      • Nuclear Energy
        • Reactor Licensing
        • Reactor Operations
        • Fuel Cycle Research
        • Advanced Reactors
      • Renewable Energy
        • Hydropower
          • Environmental Performance of Hydropower
          • Hydropower and the Electric Grid
          • Hydropower Cybersecurity and Digitalization
          • Materials Science for Hydropower
          • Water + Hydropower Planning
        • Marine Energy
          • Environmental Monitoring for Marine Energy
          • Marine Biofouling and Corrosion
          • Marine Energy Resource Characterization
          • Testing for Marine Energy
          • The Blue Economy
        • Wind Energy
          • Distributed Wind
          • Offshore Wind
          • Uncertainty Quantification
          • Wildlife and Wind
          • Wind Data Archive and Portal
          • Wind Resource Characterization
        • Geothermal Energy
        • Solar Energy
      • Transportation
        • Vehicle Technologies
          • Emission Control
          • Energy-Efficient Mobility Systems
          • Lightweight Materials
          • Vehicle Electrification
        • Bioenergy Technologies
          • Algal Biofuels
          • Aviation Biofuels
          • Waste-to-Energy and Products
        • Hydrogen & Fuel Cells
    • National Security
      • Computing & Analytics
        • Artificial Intelligence
        • Computational Mathematics & Statistics
        • Graph and Data Analytics
        • High-Performance Computing
        • Software Engineering
        • Visual Analytics
      • Cybersecurity
        • Discovery and Insight
        • Proactive Defense
        • Trusted Systems
      • Nuclear Nonproliferation
        • Stakeholder Engagement
        • Technical Training
      • Weapons of Mass Effect
        • Explosives Detection
        • Chemical & Biological Signatures Science
        • Radiological & Nuclear Detection
    • Publications & Reports
    • S&T Capabilities
  • People
    • Inventors
    • Diversity
    • Lab Leadership
    • Lab Fellows
    • Staff Accomplishments
  • Partner with PNNL
    • Academia
      • Distinguished Graduate Research Programs
      • Internships
      • Visiting Faculty Program
      • Joint Appointments
      • Joint Institutes
    • Community
      • STEM Education
        • Resources
        • STEM Ambassadors in the Classroom
      • Philanthropy
      • Volunteering
      • Economic Impact
    • Industry
      • Available Technologies
      • Industry
      • Industry Partnerships
      • Licensing & Technology Transfer
      • Entrepreneurial Leave
  • Facilities & Centers
    • All Facilities
      • Atmospheric Radiation Measurement User Facility
      • Bioproducts, Sciences, and Engineering Lab
      • Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory
      • Institute for Integrated Catalysis
      • Marine and Coastal Research Laboratory
      • Radiochemical Processing Laboratory
      • Shallow Underground Laboratory
      • Systems Engineering Building
      • Wasteform Development Laboratory
      • PNNL Seattle Research Center
      • PNNL 5G Innovation Studio

Breadcrumb

  1. Research
  2. Scientific Discovery
  3. Materials Science
  4. Science of Interfaces

Science of
Interfaces

Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory utilize staining procedures for their electron microscopy work.  This dendritic crystal formation of tungsten-based negative stain occurred during a staining procedure.

  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Computational Research
  • Earth & Coastal Sciences
  • Materials Science
    • Solid Phase Processing
    • Science of Interfaces
    • Precision Materials by Design
    • Materials in Extreme Environments
  • Nuclear & Particle Physics
  • Quantum Information Science
  • News & Updates
  • Projects

In science, interesting things happen at the edge. In the middle of a block of ice, molecules are locked into a regular pattern and not much is happening. But where ice meets liquid water, or where water meets air, things change. At those edges—what in science are called interfaces—molecules and individual atoms encounter forces that change their behavior. It’s at these interfaces that opportunity abounds for novel science. And it’s here that PNNL research groups have made strides in understanding previously hidden scientific patterns that govern material behavior.

Even a substance as ubiquitous as water has secrets still to uncover. The behavior of water drives processes as common as rusting and evaporation. But how salt ions behave at the interface of liquid water and air isn't well known. PNNL researchers studying that interface discovered that liquid water slows the separation of ions at the interface with air. When surrounded by liquid water, salt ions rearrange water's bonding structure, breaking and forming hydrogen bonds. The insight came from a computing simulation run on massively parallel computing using computer resources provide by the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences. Unlike other simulations, the calculations included thermodynamic and kinetic parameters that had never previously been done.

Interfaces drive better energy storage

The design of more efficient energy-harvesting and energy-storage devices relies on a robust understanding of the science at interfaces. How materials coalesce, how chemical bonds form and break—these are the key knowledge gaps to be filled in order to design better batteries and better solar arrays, among other devices.

Capturing material formation at interfaces

The research investments in tools and techniques at PNNL have been made strategically to allow precise measurements of materials at interfaces. For example, a research team studying oxides at a thin-film solid interface designed to be a photocatalyst for solar water splitting used X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and molecular beam epitaxy. They imaged the resulting structure using scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy. Few research institutions possess this array of tools available for atomic-level understanding of scientific interfaces.

Using these resources, we are working toward the goal of creating predictable, scalable materials for energy capture, conversion, storage, and use.

Recent News

MARCH 1, 2021
Web Feature

The Right Stuff to Find the Right Materials

Read
vijay
JANUARY 8, 2021
Staff Accomplishment

PNNL Peptoid Sequencing Progress Featured on Cover of Accounts of Chemical Research

Read
PNNL senior research scientist Chun-Long Chen
DECEMBER 11, 2020
Staff Accomplishment

Bruce Kay Elected as Trustee for AVS Science and Technology of Materials, Interfaces, and Processes

Read
Bruce Kay
SEE MORE RELATED NEWS

Related Capabilities

Condensed Matter Physics & Materials Science
Computational Science
Chemical & Molecular Science
SEE ADDITIONAL CAPABILITIES

Facilities & Centers

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Related Links

EFRC: iDREAM

PNNL

  • Get in Touch
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Doing Business
    • Environmental Reports
    • Security & Privacy
  • Research
    • Scientific Discovery
    • Energy Resiliency
    • National Security
Subscribe to PNNL News
Department of Energy Logo Battelle Logo
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is managed and operated by Battelle for the Department of Energy
  • YouTube
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn