Jincheng Du, associate professor of materials science and engineering, is part of a new Energy Frontier Research Center supported by the U.S. Department of Energy that will work to make nuclear waste disposal safer for a longer period of time.

The team of researchers from five universities, two national laboratories and one company will receive at least $8 million from the U.S. Department of Energy during the next four years to establish the Center for Performance and Design of Nuclear Waste Forms and Containers.

The team will research the degradation of materials that store nuclear waste, including glass, ceramics and metals. Du and his research assistants will focus on the fundamental mechanisms of glass degradation, especially the long-term corrosion behaviors.

"It is very exciting," Du says. "It will be a great opportunity for UNT and our students working on this project. They will work with researchers and peers from other institutions and it will be a great learning experience for them."