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ORNL researchers found that a polyelectrolyte additive can improve the stability and performance of a salt hydrate PCM, enhancing the potential for use in heat pumps. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

ORNL researchers demonstrated that an additive made from polymers and electrolytes improves the thermal performance and stability of salt hydrate phase change materials, or PCMs, a finding that could advance their integration into carbon-reducing heat pumps.

Bryan Maldonado, a researcher in the Buildings and Transportation Science Division at ORNL, will receive the 2023 Most Promising Engineer Award from the Hispanic Engineer National Achievements Awards Conference. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Bryan Maldonado, a dynamic systems and controls researcher at ORNL, has been recognized by the 2023 Hispanic Engineer National Achievements Awards Conference, or HENAAC, with the Most Promising Engineer Award.  

Mahabir Bhandari and Kashif Nawaz  portrait images.

Kashif Nawaz and Mahabir Bhandari, building technologies researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, were recognized for research achievements in support of ASHRAE during the 2023 annual conference.

Yarom Polsky studio portrait

Yarom Polsky, director of the Manufacturing Science Division, or MSD, at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been elected a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, or ASME.

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory developed an eco-friendly foam insulation for improved building efficiency. Credit: Chad Malone/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Scientists at ORNL developed a competitive, eco-friendly alternative made without harmful blowing agents.

ORNL researchers have developed a free online tool for homeowners, equipment manufacturers and installers to calculate the savings and energy efficiency of ground source heat pump systems compared to traditional heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

A tool developed by ORNL researchers gives building owners and equipment manufacturers and installers an easy way to calculate the cost savings of a heating and cooling system that utilizes geothermal energy and emits no carbon.

Heat is typically carried through a material by vibrations known as phonons. In some crystals, however, different atomic motions — known as phasons — carry heat three times faster and farther. This illustration shows phasons made by rearranging atoms, shown by arrows. Credit: Jill Hemman/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Warming a crystal of the mineral fresnoite, ORNL scientists discovered that excitations called phasons carried heat three times farther and faster than phonons, the excitations that usually carry heat through a material.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers tested the performance of cellular shades in a two-story residential home in the Southeast and proved coverings with a honeycomb structure provide significant energy savings during winter and can potentially reduce carbon emissions. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers demonstrated that window shades with a cellular or honeycomb structure provide higher energy savings during winter compared to generic venetian blinds and can save millions of tons of carbon emissions. 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory entrance sign

Zheng Gai, a senior staff scientist at ORNL’s Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, has been selected as editor-in-chief of the Spin Crossover and Spintronics section of Magnetochemistry.

Anne Campbell

Anne Campbell, an R&D associate in ORNL’s Materials Science and Technology Division since 2016, has been selected as an associate editor of the Journal of Nuclear Materials.