Special Capabilities

Research activities are carried out in a number of general-purpose laboratory buildings. The division also manages two non-reactor nuclear facilities that are specially equipped for work with radioactive materials in hood, glove-box, and hot-cell settings. In addition, it operates a dedicated neutron activation analysis facility at the High Flux Isotope Reactor and a positron spectroscopy capability at the Oak Ridge Electron Linear Accelerator.

Ongoing capital investments in instrumentation are focussed on maintaining and improving capabilities for mass spectrometry, laser spectroscopy, high temperature/pressure studies of solutions and solids, fieldable instrumentation for environmental analysis, radioanalytical techniques, chromatographic separations, surface science, solid-state NMR spectroscopy, isotopic geochemistry, x-ray/neutron characterization of amorphous and crystalline materials, and thin-film synthesis of ceramic materials. Close interactions with two ORNL/University of Tennessee Distinguished Scientists bring capabilities in thermal analysis of polymers and preparative chromatographic separations.

These special capabilities can be made available to academic and industrial scientists under a range of partnership vehicles, ranging from informal scientific collaborations to more structured arrangements, dependent on the need to protect intellectual property rights.