Fundamental investigations of separations science for radioactive materials

Fundamental investigations of solvent extraction and ion exchange separatio ns of radioactive materials have been conducted within the National Laborat ory system of the U.S. Department of Energy (and its predecessor agencies) for the past 50 years. Basic research conducted at Oak Ridge and Argonne Na tional Laboratories has produced both high quality new science and importan t applications in nuclear technology. The present contribution is an attemp t to summarize the most important scientific results arising from this rese arch during the past 10 years, a time of great change in the nuclear separa tions field, and to suggest possible directions for the next stage of resea rch and development in this field.