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ORNL's Communications team works with news media seeking information about the laboratory. Media may use the resources listed below or send questions to news@ornl.gov.

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Close up image of researcher's hands showing a PAN nanofiber next to a strand of human hair.

Stronger than steel and lighter than aluminum, carbon fiber is a staple in aerospace and high-performance vehicles — and now, scientists at ORNL have found a way to make it even stronger.

ORNL researcher is sitting at a transmission electron microscopy board in a lab at ORNL

As the focus on energy resiliency and competitiveness increases, the development of advanced materials for next-generation, commercial fusion reactors is gaining attention. A recent paper examines a promising candidate for these reactors: ultra-high-temperature ceramics, or UHTCs.

Troy Carter is standing on the staircase with a mural in the background showing the summit supercmputer

Troy Carter, director of the Fusion Energy Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, leads efforts to make fusion energy a reality, overseeing key projects like MPEX and fostering public-private collaborations in fusion research. 

Two men are talking on the backside of a semi trailer holding big wooden boxes

US ITER has completed delivery of all components for the support structure of the central solenoid, the 60-foot-tall superconducting magnet that is the “heart” of the ITER fusion machine. 

Secretary Wright leans over red computer door, signing with silver sharpie as ORNL Director Stephen Streiffer looks on

During his first visit to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Energy Secretary Chris Wright compared the urgency of the Lab’s World War II beginnings to today’s global race to lead in artificial intelligence, calling for a “Manhattan Project 2.”

Neus Domingo Marimon, ORNL scientist, poses for a photo in black with hair down

Neus Domingo Marimon, leader of the Functional Atomic Force Microscopy group at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences of ORNL, has been elevated to senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Two pictures of a rounded triangle shape are shown in mirror image. The left is white with red and purple spots in the middle while the one on the right is purple with a yellow and blue ring in the middle

Scientists designing the world’s first controlled nuclear fusion power plant, ITER, needed to solve the problem of runaway electrons, negatively charged particles in the soup of matter in the plasma within the tokamak, the magnetic bottle intended to contain the massive energy produced. Simulations performed on Summit, the 200-petaflop supercomputer at ORNL, could offer the first step toward a solution.

Chad sitting in a lab coat at a desk

Chad Parish, a senior researcher at ORNL, studies materials at the atomic level to improve nuclear reactors. His work focuses on fusion and fission energy, using microscopy and collaborating with experts to advance materials for extreme environments.

FREDA logo with a blue background and neon blue lines coming from the bottom left, plus a circle in the middle filled with half science atom symbol and half gear

FREDA is a new tool being developed at ORNL that will accelerate the design and testing of next-generation fusion devices. It is the first tool of its kind to combine plasma and engineering modeling capabilities and utilize high performance computing resources.

Scientists used neutron scattering to study how tweaking the ionic clusters in ionizable polymer solutions affects their structure. The polymer building blocks are marked in gold and the ionizable groups in red. Findings could open doors to lighter, more efficient clean energy devices. Credit: Phoenix Pleasant/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Electrolytes that convert chemical to electrical energy underlie the search for new power sources with zero emissions. Among these new power sources are fuel cells that produce electricity.