PNNL team creates “super alloy” for nuclear reactors

February 28, 2025, 9:30AMANS Nuclear Cafe
PNNL researchers (from left) Isabella van Rooyen, Subhashish Meher, and Steven Livers are part of the team that developed a durable new nickel-based “super alloy” by replacing cobalt with manganese. (Photo: Andrea Starr/PNNL)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has reported that researchers there have created a tough new alloy that has potential use in advanced nuclear reactors and that is not dependent on a difficult-to-get element. The research team, which included materials scientists Isabella van Rooyen, Subhashish Meher, and Steven Livers, started its experiments with the highly durable nickel-chromium-cobalt-molybdenum “super alloy” known as Inconel 617 (IN617).