Department of Energy launches collaborative for critical materials manufacturing

The U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory has launched the National Science-at-Scale Collaborative, a new initiative designed to help American companies develop and commercialize new products and manufacturing technologies more quickly.

Supported by the Department of Energy's Office of Critical Materials and Energy Innovation, the collaborative brings together industry, government and the national laboratory system to address challenges in U.S. critical materials and chemical manufacturing.

Under the initiative, Argonne will work with industry partners on projects aimed at accelerating the transition of promising technologies from research to commercial production. Researchers will use advanced computer modeling, artificial intelligence, rapid synthesis tools and pilot-scale manufacturing systems at Argonne's Materials Engineering Research Facility to help companies test and scale new production processes.

According to the Department of Energy, the collaborative is intended to strengthen connections among federal agencies, national laboratories and private industry to accelerate domestic deployment of emerging technologies.

The announcement followed an industry roundtable chaired by the Office of Critical Materials and Energy Innovation. Representatives from the chemical and critical materials sectors met to discuss manufacturing challenges and opportunities for collaboration.

Participants included Argonne National Laboratory and manufacturers Aclara, Albemarle, ATALCO, BASF North America, Chemours, Dow, Entegris, Exxon Mobil, Orbia and Standard Lithium.

The initiative also supports the Office of Critical Materials and Energy Innovation's broader efforts to strengthen U.S. critical minerals supply chains and accelerate the development of next-generation energy technologies.