PETL is a new 151,000 sq.ft., state-of-the-art materials research and process development laboratory, which opened September of 2000. This facility was designed to improve our ability to carry out chemically intense research and enhance capabilities to perform research at the nanoscale with highly sensitive optical and electromechanical equipment. In addition, the laboratories and utility infrastructure were designed with a modular layout, providing staff with the ability to rapidly reconfigure their research environments in a world of accelerating scientific and technological advances.
PETL is a cornerstone of our capability to advance Materials Science and Engineering research and development at Sandia. This work is a key enabler for all of DOE's missions. For the nation's nuclear weapons program, our contributions span the range from understanding mechanisms at the atomic level to developing nuclear weapons components to evaluating the lifetime and reliability of the nuclear stockpile. For other national security programs, materials research provides capabilities for sensors used in treaty verification to warning systems for chemical and biological attacks. Developments in Materials Science and Engineering are also critical for the DOE energy and environmental programs in areas such as advanced processes for efficient manufacturing, environmentally conscious manufacturing and catalysts for improved energy conversion. Using the capabilities developed through these programs, Sandia is also making significant contributions to U.S. industry through a wide range of industrial partnerships.
Materials research at Sandia will also have a major role in enabling new developments in microsystems, nanotechnologies, nanoscale diagnostics, science based materials processes, materials self-assembly, materials aging and reliability, materials and process modeling, and development of advanced methodologies for information detection, extraction, and analysis.