Powering American Industry through Isotope Innovation
Our radioisotopes are used to inspect critical oil pipelines for leaks, to support next-generation quantum computing, and to manufacture everyday electronics like your cell phone.
They strengthen U.S. industry with tools and materials that conventional technologies cannot always provide.
How Isotopes Support American Industry
Measurement + Quality
Radioisotopes can support highly precise gauges, measurement systems, and analytical technologies used to monitor materials, processes, and product performance.
Materials + Manufacturing
Enriched isotopes and isotope-engineered materials can enable advanced semiconductors, quantum devices, electronics, sensing, and other emerging technologies.
Technology Development
Specialized isotopes and enriched materials can enable research and emerging technologies across electronics, aerospace, energy systems, and other advanced industries.
Using X-ray Vision to Spot Imperfections
Radioisotopes such as iridium-192 provide gamma radiation used in industrial radiography, allowing manufacturers and inspectors to examine welds, pipelines, structural components, and other materials without cutting them apart.
ORNL saves American industries time, effort, and money.
Promethium-147 has applications in thickness gauges and specialized power systems. These isotope-enabled measurement technologies can help manufacturers monitor processes and maintain consistent product components, like the thickness of your cell phone screen.
Isotopes support industrial inspection, precision measurement, process control, materials research, tracing, advanced manufacturing, semiconductor development, and other specialized applications. Their unique properties can provide information or performance that conventional materials and methods cannot always achieve.
Radioisotopes such as iridium-192 and selenium-75 can emit penetrating gamma radiation used in industrial radiography. This allows inspectors to examine welds, pipelines, structural components, and other materials for internal defects without cutting them apart.
Certain radioisotopes can serve as radiation sources in gauges used to measure properties such as thickness, density, or material consistency. These systems can help manufacturers monitor production processes and maintain consistent product performance.
Some quantum systems perform best when unwanted isotopes are greatly reduced. Stable isotope enrichment can produce highly purified materials such as silicon and germanium isotopes that help reduce atomic-scale interactions that may interfere with quantum performance.
ORNL isotope capabilities can support materials evaluation, process measurement, nondestructive inspection, isotope-engineered materials, and research into advanced manufacturing technologies. These capabilities help researchers and industry better understand how materials and systems perform.
Domestic isotope production and enrichment can reduce dependence on limited external sources for specialized materials. Maintaining U.S. capability also preserves the scientific infrastructure and technical expertise needed to supply future industrial and technology requirements.
