LLNL’s enhanced materials science capabilities showcased during open house

LLNL’s Materials Science Division (MSD) recently hosted an open house showcasing its lab facilities and redesigned workspaces that support the division’s expanding research scope.

The event, led by Division Leader Manyalibo (Ibo) Matthews, featured tours of updated laboratory spaces. At each tour stop, MSD scientists provided a brief overview of the research that takes place in their labs, and invited visitors to take a closer look at their  capabilities.

Between tour stops, LLNL Director Kim Budil chatted with attendees, reflecting on how MSD takes a multidisciplinary research approach and supports every program at LLNL. “Users of these workspaces include Lab researchers, collaborators and student interns, so we wanted to ensure that the resources can effectively support a broad range of mission needs,” Budil said.

During the day’s first tour, Budil and other VIP guests were on hand for the official grand opening of one of MSD’s newest resources — the Laser Induced compression of Grain scale with High Throughput (LIGHT) Lab. The LIGHT Lab is home to a high-energy laser, capable of firing a shot every minute and supporting rapid, cost-effective investigations of laser-shocked materials. Tour presenter Paulius Grivickas explained that the laser was originally developed to support LLNL’s nuclear deterrence mission, and it will also be available for other research applications.

The MSD group associated with the LIGHT Lab is led by Jon Belof, who also leads project DarkStar, an LLNL strategic initiative focused on discovering new principles that allow application of artificial intelligence to control shock wave and material dynamics. As a recent example, DarkStar is studying ways to mitigate material jetting caused by defects under shock loading by exploiting specifically tailored shock wave structures during loading. DarkStar experiments conducted at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Lab have already improved understanding of shocked materials under varying conditions, and use of the LIGHT Lab will greatly improve throughput of these shock experiments.

At another tour stop, MSD scientist Kaila Bertsch described research under way in the new Gleeble Thermomechanical Simulator, which can apply loads at high temperatures to simulate industrial processing as well as extreme environment applications, all at temperatures up to 3,000° Celsius. Its capabilities enable researchers to observe the properties and characteristics of materials in extreme conditions, under massive loads.

According to Bertsch, the simulator’s capabilities have already helped attract new hires to LLNL. In fact, the opportunity to be part of materials science research is what ultimately brought her to the Lab. She came to LLNL because she was excited about using unique experimental resources and participating in research opportunities that are not typically available elsewhere for early- and mid-career professionals.

Efficiency was a recurring theme on the tour, including a stop at the Duralumin Actinide Synthesis Lab to see where feedstock preparation for many projects occurs. One of the feedstocks produced in this lab led to a hydride/dehydride project in the Larasium Lab, focused on alloy development. According to synthetic chemist Bradley Childs, this capability can turn 10 milligrams of raw materials into 9 milligrams of new materials, while also recycling the waste for future use.

Down the hall from the Larasium Lab, visitors toured the Materials Characterization Center, which will soon be expanding by hundreds of square feet to house an array of capabilities focused on actinide research and associated diagnostics. This user facility features a diverse collection of material preparation and characterization capabilities, including an X-ray diffraction suite, a focused ion beam, electron microscopy laboratories, an ion accelerator and metallography/precision sample fabrication labs.

Center manager Jonathan Lee said that the center supports research across LLNL. “We like to think that we can work with the whole periodic table, so we can support everyone who comes to us looking for help,”  Lee said.

Every tour stop featured capabilities that benefit existing projects and are expected to play key roles in future research. Budil emphasized this outcome, describing the Lab’s materials science resources as “an example of how we want to facilitate great science in support of our mission, while creating environments that represent how much LLNL values our staff.”

Standing next to a wall featuring journal covers from more than two dozen publications highlighting recent MSD research, Matthews noted that the journal cover display “highlights the division’s accomplishments and shows our pride in the great work done by our staff.” In addition, Matthews shared that in the last three years, the division has grown from 400 staff to approximately 530 staff today, with more individuals joining MSD each month.

--Amy Weldon, TID