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Projects

As a scientific user facility, the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) provides expertise, instrumentation, and resources to 250 projects each year. 

Projects displayed below reflect information and abstracts that were published before April 30, 2024. To review current EMSL user projects, visit Science Central™.

  • Projects beginning at or after given date.
    Projects ending at or before given date.

Nanostructured Catalysts for Fuel Cells

Lead Institution
University of Alabama
Principal Investigator
Christoffer Turner
Project type
Exploratory Research
Our goal is to understand, at a fundamental level, the interactions in a platinum/graphite catalyst used as an anode of a PEM fuel cell and its influence on CO and H2 oxidation reactions. The metal…

Electron energy loss in radiation detection

Lead Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
Bret Cannon
Project type
Exploratory Research
This project will develop the capability at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to measure processes by which high energy electrons lose energy in solids and how that lost energy is…

Infrared Spectra of Nitric Acid

Lead Institution
NASA Ames Research Center
Principal Investigator
Charles Chackerian
Project type
Exploratory Research
High resolution spectra will be recorded of nitric acid in the 5-8 micron spectral range. The spectra will be used to obtain absolute rovibrational line intensities for a number of vibrational bands…

High Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy of Acetaldehyde

Lead Institution
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Principal Investigator
Jon Hougen
Project type
Exploratory Research
We have recorded the nu10 torsional band of acetaldehyde at 509 wavenumbers using the pulsed slit-jet, tunable diode laser spectrometer at the EMSL located at the Pacific Northwest National…

Application of Tunable, Ultrafast Lasers to Ion-Trap Mass Spectrometry

Lead Institution
Vanderbilt University
Principal Investigator
Richard Haglund
Project type
Exploratory Research
We propose to use ion-trap mass spectrometry, capitalizing on the asymmetric trap design developed by Dr. Alexander, to study ion and neutral atom and molecule emission under laser irradiation in the…

Gas phase Halogen detection in ambient air

Lead Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
Robert Disselkamp
Project type
Exploratory Research
Experiments are underway to examine halogen formation in aqueous NaCl/NaBr/HNO3/O3 solutions. Air containing ozone is sent through an aqueous solution and chemistry occurs whereby the effluent gas…

Investigations of ZrO2 and NaNO3 Interfaces using HREELM

Lead Institution
Istituto de Struttura della Materia del CNR, Frascati, Rome
Principal Investigator
Ernesto Paparazzo
Project type
Exploratory Research
We have been involved in several joint projects which investigate the role of surface excitations in low-energy electron- and photon-stimulated desorption phenomena. Thus far, we have examined the…

Remote photoluminescence characterization of subsurface contamination

Lead Institution
University of Central Florida
Principal Investigator
Robert Peale
Project type
Exploratory Research
Characterization of subsurface contamination on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation is expensive because of sample collection for offsite analysis, which itself is unacceptably slow. Excavation…

The Preparation and Characterization of Functional Nanocomposite Films by Laser Ablation

Lead Institution
National Institute of Material and Chemical Research, Agency for Industrial Science and Technology
Principal Investigator
N. Koshizaki
Project type
Exploratory Research
An important aspect this project is the investigation of ultraviolet laser ablation techniques in the deposition process. At these shorter wavelengths the absorptivity of the raw composite…

Chemical/Physical Structure of Nano-Sized Silicon Nitride Powder

Lead Institution
Oregon State University
Principal Investigator
Shoichi Kimura
Project type
Exploratory Research
Nano-sized silicon nitride is produced via the reaction between SiO vapor and ammonia. The product could be in three forms: nano-sized powder, crystals and whiskers. Depending on the reaction…

Application of Tunable, Ultrafast Lasers to Ion-Trap Mass Spectrometry

Lead Institution
Vanderbilt University
Principal Investigator
Richard Haglund
Project type
Exploratory Research
We propose to use ion-trap mass spectrometry, capitalizing on the asymmetric trap design developed by Dr. Alexander, to study ion and neutral atom and molecule emission under laser irradiation in the…

Non-stoichiometric precipitation of phase-pure hydrotalcite-like compounds

Lead Institution
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory
Principal Investigator
Ravi Kukkadapu
Project type
Exploratory Research
Hydrotalcite-like compounds (HTLCs), brucite-like materials, are used as gaseous adsorbents (e.g., CO2, NOx, SOx, etc.), anion exchangers, catalyst precursors, and catalyst supports. The general…

The Location of M(IV) Dopants in Hematite

Lead Institution
Lewis and Clark College
Principal Investigator
Barbara Balko
Project type
Exploratory Research
Redox reactions that occur on iron oxides are critical in biogeochemical cycles and are potentially important in controlling corrosion at iron surfaces and for degrading organic pollutants. The…

Characterization of Secondary Phases forming from Weathering of Waste Glasses

Lead Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Principal Investigator
Shas Mattigod
Project type
Exploratory Research
A performance assessment is underway to evaluate the suitability of the unsaturated sediments at the Hanford Site for long-term disposal of vitrified low-activity waste. Previous analyses show…