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Crosscutting Research

CMI focus area on crosscutting research includes enabling science, criticality and supply chain analysis, and and economic, environmental and social analysis

As CMI begins its 13th year of operation in 2025, the CMI focus area Crosscutting Research will conduct research around the themes of Enabling Science, Criticality and Supply Chain Analysis, and Economic, Environmental and Social Analysis. For questions or more information, please contact cmidirector@ameslab.gov.

News & Highlights

All News | All Highlights

Comparison between predicted and measured EMF of 𝑁𝑑+3+3𝑒−→𝑁𝑑0, 𝑁𝑑+3+𝑒−→𝑁𝑑+2 and 𝑁𝑑+2+2𝑒−→𝑁𝑑0 reactions in various KCl-LiCl-NdCl3 mixtures and temperatures. The shaded area corresponds to a maximum deviation of +/- 5% (10% total) compared to the exact Measured/Predicted matching values (black sloid line), highlighting that all predictions fall well below 15% of experimental values and validating our contribution to the CMI FA4 Year 13 goal.

Research Highlight

Development of a multicomponent thermodynamic database for molten salt processing of rare earths

Hydrogen production by S. mesophilum incubated with different nominal concentrations of Eu (a) or Sm (b). Decreased hydrogen production compared to the no metal control indicates inhibition of normal metabolic activity for the organism.

Research Highlight

Impacts of adjacent lanthanides on anaerobic microbes differ significantly

scatter plot for rare earth elements evaluated

Research Highlight

Rare earth elements less toxic than copper, affected by solubility

Enthalpies of dissolution of REE metals in 5 N HCl

Research Highlight

Thermodynamics of rare earth elements (REE) to improve models for REE recovery

Comparison of search patterns for four optimizers, helping understand algorithm behavior and efficiency. The top right may funnel to a suboptimal solution, the bottom right may favor the corners of the space, and the left two optimizers densely search the reaction space.

Research Highlight

CyRxnOpt: Generalized Interface for Process Optimization

Research Projects

CMI Project 4.1.1 Advanced computational thermodynamics and kinetics

CMI Project 4.1.2 Automated and artificial intelligence (AI)-accelerated separation of critical materials

CMI Project 4.1.5 Critical materials process thermodynamics (CMPT)

CMI Project 4.2.3 Market and supply chain analysis of critical materials

CMI Project 4.2.7 Enhancing criticality assessment – from backward-looking to anticipatory perspectives

CMI Project 4.3.4 Techno-Economic Assessment (TEA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

CMI Project 4.3.6 Ecosystem impacts of critical material recovery and processing

CMI Project 4.3.8 Social acceptance of critical battery mineral developments in the United States