News

Four ORNL researchers elected fellows of American Physical Society

November 18, 2015

Four researchers from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been elected fellows of the American Physical Society (APS), one of the nation's top professional organizations for scientists. Jaime Fernandez-Baca, Sergei Kalinin, Mark

ORNL wins six R&D 100 Awards

November 16, 2015

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have received six R&D 100 Awards, increasing the lab’s total to 193 since the award’s inception in 1963.

Using high-performance computing, ORNL researchers are modelling the atomic structure of new alloys to select the best candidates for physical experimentation.

Atoms to Engines

November 10, 2015

The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, FCA US LLC, and the foundry giant, Nemak of Mexico, are combining their strengths to create lightweight powertrain materials that will help the auto industry speed past the technological

ORNL researchers used a new scanning transmission electron microscopy technique to sculpt 3-D nanoscale features in a complex oxide material.

New electron microscopy method sculpts 3-D structures at atomic level

November 9, 2015

Electron microscopy researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a unique way to build 3-D structures with finely controlled shapes as small as one to two billionths of a meter.

A hybrid 3-D optical microscope – mass spectrometry map showing optical brightness (height) and chemical distribution of poly(2vinylpyridine) (red) and poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (blue) signals of a 20 micron-by-20 micron area of a polymer blend. (ORNL/DOE)

New ORNL device combines power of mass spectrometry, microscopy

November 6, 2015

A tool that provides world-class microscopy and spatially resolved chemical analysis shows considerable promise for advancing a number of areas of study, including chemical science, pharmaceutical development and disease progression. The hybrid optical mi

Chaitanya Narula led analysis of an ORNL biofuel-to-hydrocarbon conversion technology to explain the underlying process.

Energy-efficient reaction drives ORNL biofuel conversion technology

November 3, 2015

A new study from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory explains the mechanism behind a technology that converts bio-based ethanol into hydrocarbon blend-stocks for use as fossil fuel alternatives.

Conceptual art connects the atomic underpinnings of the neutron-rich calcium-48 nucleus with the Crab Nebula, which has a neutron star at its heart. Zeros and ones depict the computational power needed to explore objects that differ in size by 18 orders o

Calcium-48’s ‘neutron skin’ thinner than previously thought

November 2, 2015

An international team led by Gaute Hagen of the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory used America’s most powerful supercomputer, Titan, to compute the neutron distribution and related observables of calcium-48

In complex alloys, chemical disorder results from a greater variety of elements than found in traditional alloys. Traces here indicate electronic states in a complex alloy; smeared traces reduced electrical and thermal conductivity. Image credit: Oak Ridg

Chemical complexity promises improved structural alloys for next-gen nuclear energy

October 30, 2015

Designing alloys to withstand extreme environments is a fundamental challenge for materials scientists.

An ORNL technology that converts waste rubber into a valuable energy storage material has been licensed to RJ Lee Group. ORNL inventors Amit Naskar (left) and Parans Paranthaman flank Richard Lee, CEO of RJ Lee Group.

ORNL tires-to-carbon technology licensed to RJ Lee Group

October 30, 2015

RJ Lee Group has signed an agreement to license an invention developed at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory that converts waste rubber into a valuable energy storage material. The technology turns rubber sources such as tires into c

New ORNL catalyst features unsurpassed selectivity

October 29, 2015

Catalysts that power chemical reactions to produce the nylon used in clothing, cookware, machinery and electronics could get a lift with a new formulation that saves time, energy and natural resources.

Physical Sciences Directorate