American energy security
From mines and brines to magnets, batteries, and finished components
From mines and brines to magnets, batteries, and finished components
Critical minerals and materials—such as rare earth elements, lithium, platinum group metals, iridium, advanced alloys, and semiconductor materials—are essential to modern energy systems, advanced manufacturing, computing, and defense-relevant technologies. Yet U.S. supply chains for many of these materials remain concentrated in foreign-controlled markets, creating strategic vulnerabilities.
As the U.S. Department of Energy’s largest multiprogram science and energy laboratory, ORNL uniquely spans the full continuum from atoms to applications. We integrate discovery science, advanced manufacturing, and deployment-ready technology to strengthen domestic supply chains and accelerate solutions that support energy and national security missions.
ORNL is uniquely positioned to lead the nation’s critical minerals and materials agenda
One-of-a-kind national capability
ORNL is the nation’s largest science laboratory, simultaneously serving the nation as a nuclear laboratory, materials laboratory, and exascale computing laboratory, enabling integrated solutions that few institutions can match.
Decades of leadership in separations and materials science
From early nuclear-era separations to today’s advanced chemical, electrochemical, and bio-enabled recovery technologies, separations science and materials innovation are core ORNL strengths.
Building solutions from atoms to applications
ORNL does not stop at discovery. The laboratory can design, make, test, and qualify materials and components, bridging the gap between fundamental science and deployment-ready solutions.
Proven delivery and technology transfer
As a major contributor to the DOE Critical Materials Innovation Hub, ORNL researchers have authored or co-authored numerous Hub patents and helped transition licensed technologies to U.S. companies—demonstrating a strong record of moving innovations into the marketplace.
Work With Us
Industry, utilities, and government partners work with ORNL to de-risk technologies, validate performance, and accelerate commercial deployment of critical minerals and materials solutions—from feedstock recovery to finished components.
Discovery and Predictive Science
Discovery and Predictive Science
World-leading expertise, user facilities, and AI-driven modeling reveal how critical materials behave and can be selectively separated—accelerating discovery and translating insights into scalable, deployable technologies.
Diversifying Domestic Supply
Diversifying Domestic Supply
Integrated chemical, electrochemical, and biological approaches recover critical materials from unconventional U.S. resources—transforming complex feedstocks like brines, waste streams, and industrial byproducts into secure domestic supply.
Developing Substitutes and Advanced Materials
Developing Substitutes and Advanced Materials
High-performance materials with reduced critical content are developed using computational modeling, AI-enabled workflows, and advanced manufacturing—translating innovations such as rare-earth-free magnets, alternative graphitic materials, and extreme-environment alloys into deployable components that strengthen resilient supply chains.
Unlocking Recovery and Reuse
Unlocking Recovery and Reuse
Advanced separation and hybrid bio-chemical processes recover critical materials from end-of-life products and industrial residues—enabling high-selectivity extraction from complex waste streams and strengthening domestic supply chains while reducing cost and risk.
Scaling Up for Industry Impact
Scaling Up for Industry Impact
Advanced materials, manufacturing, and scale-up capabilities bridge the gap from discovery to deployment—enabling production of high-performance components with greater precision, reduced waste, and validated pathways to commercial scale.
Enabling Capabilities
Enabling Capabilities
Materials developed and secured through ORNL’s work support:
- High-performance structures and systems
Titanium and advanced alloys for lightweight, high-strength aerospace and energy applications - Motors, sensors, and secure communications
Rare earth elements for magnets, guidance, sensing, and power conversion - Catalysts and electrochemical systems
Platinum group metals, including iridium, for hydrogen production, power systems, and extreme-environment applications
National Security Risk
Many of these materials are mined, processed, or refined outside the United States—often in regions subject to geopolitical instability or adversarial control. This concentration creates vulnerabilities that can disrupt energy systems, manufacturing, and defense-relevant supply chains during periods of global stress.
ORNL’s Role
ORNL works across the materials lifecycle—including recovery, separation, substitution, manufacturing, and qualification—to reduce supply-chain risk. These capabilities help diversify sources, eliminate single points of failure, and accelerate deployment of technologies that support both energy security and national security missions.
Economic Security
Securing domestic access to critical minerals and materials strengthens the U.S. industrial base, supports advanced manufacturing, and sustains high-quality jobs. By reinforcing supply chains for energy- and security-relevant materials, ORNL links economic competitiveness directly to long-term national security and resilience.
