PNNL

The 21st century brings with it the grand challenge of changing the way we generate, supply, transmit, store, and use energy to meet the world’s growing demands. To address this challenge, the U.S. Department of Energy has established a network of Energy Frontier Research Centers throughout the nation, each focusing on specific scientific questions and problems. In 2018, PNNL partnered with the University of Washington (UW) to co-lead the Center for the Science of Synthesis Across Scales (CSSAS), an EFRC based at UW.

CSSAS brings together researchers from biology, engineering, and the physical sciences to uncover new insights into how molecular interactions control assembly and apply these principles toward creating new materials with novel and revolutionary properties for applications in energy technology. Specifically, scientists are working to master the design of high-information-content macromolecular building blocks. These building blocks could predictively self-assemble into responsive, reconfigurable, self-healing materials, and direct the formation and organization of inorganic components.

For detailed information or research highlights, click here.