October AMP_Digital

6 A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9 MATERIALS CONSORTIUM INVESTIGATES HYDROGEN Scientists at Sandia and Pacific Northwest (PNNL) national laborato- ries are in charge of a new collabora- tion that aims to learn how hydrogen affects materials such as steel, alu- minum, plastics, and rubber. The Hy- drogen Materials Compatibility Con- sortium (H-Mat) will focus on how hydrogen impacts polymers and met- als used in sectors such as fuel cell transportation and hydrogen infra- structure. Researchers at Oak Ridge, Savannah River, and Argonne na- tional laboratories, as well as indus- try and academia, are also part of the effort. Because the mechanisms of in- teractions between hydrogen andma- terials at the nano and microscales are not well understood, the life- times of various com- ponents are challenging to estimate. Even less is known about how hy- drogen affects the struc- ture and mechanical properties of polymers, such as plastic pipes and rubber seals. To date, much of the exist- ing hydrogen infrastruc- ture has been informed by research performed at the national labs to characterize metals and polymers in high-pres- sure hydrogen environ- ments. H-Mat seeks to dig deeper into the un- derlying science by us- ing advanced imaging and surface character- ization techniques to study hydrogen inter- actions with materials at sizes ranging from atomistic to engineering scale. Re- searchers are also developing com- puter models to predict the mech- anisms of these interactions and the evolution of hydrogen-induced damage. Those predictions could help materials scientists tailor the composition and microstructure of materials to withstand hydrogen- induced damage. Scientists at Sandia are study- ing the behavior of metals and poly- mers while exposed to high-pres- sure hydrogen environments using unique equipment at the Livermore campus, while the team at PNNL leads the characterization and ex- perimental studies of cracking and degradation in polymers. Research- ers at collaborating labs will provide expertise in advanced imaging and Brendan Davis, principal designer of high pressure mechani- cal test systems at Sandia’s Hydrogen Effects on Materials lab, prepares a system for testing. RESEARCH TRACKS high-performance computing. Exis- ting and new academic, industrial, and institutional partnerships will add knowledge about material needs for specific infrastructure applica- tions and nonproprietary data will be made public to accelerate research and development. sandia.gov. DOE FUNDING SUPPORTS DATA SCIENCE RESEARCH In August, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced $27.6 mil- lion in funding over the next three years for targeted research in data science to accelerate discovery in chemistry and material sciences. The 19 awards—14 to universities and five to national laboratories—will ad- vance the application of modern data science techniques such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop new materials and chemi- cal processes. Research will focus on develop- ing a predictive understanding of ma- terials and chemical properties and processes. It is expected to lead to the development of new catalysts, al- loys, superconductors, and methods of chemical separation and materi- als synthesis, among other advances, with potential impact on energy pro- duction, delivery, and use. Awards were selected based on competitive peer review under a DOE Funding Opportunity Announcement and companion announcement for DOE labs, both titled, “Data Science for Discovery in Chemical and Materi- als Sciences.” Funding for 2019 totals $16.5 million, with additional funding contingent on congressional appro- priations. doe.gov.