A Tennessee Tech research team has received a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to support an innovative project in nuclear science.
Funded through the DOE’s Reaching a New Energy Workforce (RENEW) initiative, the three-year grant will provide hands-on experience to at least 16 undergraduate and graduate students. The students will work alongside experts from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to study the separation and purification of Promethium-147, a radioactive isotope used in space exploration and other industries.
“We’re entering a second golden age of nuclear science, and it’s critical that we train the next generation to lead it,” said Dr. David Dan, associate professor of chemistry at Tennessee Tech, who led the grant application process.
The team will apply a method involving metal-organic frameworks to purify the isotope—an approach that has never been used with Promethium-147 before.
“Because of its similar chemical properties to its parent isotope, Promethium-147 is notoriously difficult to separate,” Dan explained. “If successful, our method could lead to more efficient and scalable solutions for the field.”
The grant also includes extensive mentorship and collaboration with ORNL scientists Dr. Frankie White and Megan Simms, helping to build a strong pipeline of future radiochemists and nuclear professionals for careers in academia, industry, and government laboratories.