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Technical illustration of an EV battery collector with vehicle placement shown in background.

Strengthening the competitiveness of the U.S. transportation industry depends on developing domestic EV batteries that combine rapid charging with long-range performance — two goals that often conflict. Researchers at ORNL have addressed this challenge by redesigning a key battery component, enabling fast, 10-minute charging while improving energy density and reducing reliance on copper.

Illustration of the GRETA detector, a spherical array of metal cylinders. The detector is divided into two halves to show the inside of the machine. Both halves are attached to metal harnesses, displayed against a black and green cyber-themed background.

Analyzing massive datasets from nuclear physics experiments can take hours or days to process, but researchers are working to radically reduce that time to mere seconds using special software being developed at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley and Oak Ridge national laboratories.  

Two cylinders on each side of the photo are pointing to bright glowing orb in the center.

Scientists at ORNL have developed a method that can track chemical changes in molten salt in real time — helping to pave the way for the deployment of molten salt reactors for energy production.

Animated graphic with a plant on the right, blue sphere on the left and blue glowing dots scattered throughout.

To help reduce the likelihood of losing future cultivated crops to drought and other seasonal hardships, researchers from ORNL, Budapest and Hungary are using neutrons, light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy to study the 'Never Never' plant, known for its ability to endure periods of little to no rain. 

Photo is a graphical representation of lithium ions (glowing orbs) move through a diffusion gate (gold triangle) in a solid-state electrolyte

A team of scientists led by a professor from Duke University discovered a way to help make batteries safer, charge faster and last longer. They relied on neutrons at ORNL to understand at the atomic scale how lithium moves in lithium phosphorus sulfur chloride, a promising new type of solid-state battery material known as a superionic compound. 

Procter & Gamble scientists used ORNL’s Summit supercomputer to create a digital model of the corneal epithelium, the primary outer layer of cells covering the human eye, and test that model against a series of cleaning compounds in search of a gentler, more environmentally sustainable formula.

P&G is using simulations on the ORNL Summit supercomputer to study how surfactants in cleaners cause eye irritation. By modeling the corneal epithelium, P&G aims to develop safer, concentrated cleaning products that meet performance and safety standards while supporting sustainability goals.

Photo is a high aerial view of lake superior through the clouds

Researchers at Stanford University, the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, or ECMWF, and ORNL used the lab’s Summit supercomputer to better understand atmospheric gravity waves, which influence significant weather patterns that are difficult to forecast. 

Pictured is the ForWarn vegetation tracking tool that shows where areas of red where disturbance to forest canopy occured

The ForWarn visualization tool was co-developed by ORNL with the U.S. Forest Service. The tool captures and analyzes satellite imagery to track impacts such as storms, wildfire and pests on forests across the nation.

FAMU, FSU, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) leadership

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has launched its Neutron Nexus pilot program with Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University and Florida State University through the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. The first program of its kind nationwide, it’s aimed at broadening and diversifying the scientific user community with outreach to universities and colleges. 

This illustration demonstrates how atomic configurations with an equiatomic concentration of niobium (Nb), tantalum (Ta) and vanadium (V) can become disordered. The AI model helps researchers identify potential atomic configurations that can be used as shielding for housing fusion applications in a nuclear reactor. Credit: Massimiliano Lupo Pasini/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

A study led by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory details how artificial intelligence researchers created an AI model to help identify new alloys used as shielding for housing fusion applications components in a nuclear reactor. The findings mark a major step towards improving nuclear fusion facilities.