Filter News
Area of Research
News Topics
- (-) Bioenergy (2)
- (-) Quantum Science (2)
- 3-D Printing/Advanced Manufacturing (15)
- Advanced Reactors (1)
- Artificial Intelligence (4)
- Big Data (3)
- Biomedical (2)
- Buildings (4)
- Chemical Sciences (4)
- Clean Water (1)
- Composites (7)
- Computer Science (11)
- Coronavirus (1)
- Critical Materials (5)
- Decarbonization (1)
- Energy Storage (8)
- Environment (2)
- Fusion (2)
- Grid (2)
- High-Performance Computing (1)
- Isotopes (2)
- Machine Learning (3)
- Materials (16)
- Materials Science (21)
- Microscopy (6)
- Molten Salt (1)
- Nanotechnology (8)
- Neutron Science (4)
- Nuclear Energy (3)
- Physics (2)
- Polymers (6)
- Quantum Computing (1)
- Space Exploration (2)
- Sustainable Energy (9)
- Transportation (6)
Media Contacts
![Two hybrid poplar plants, middle and right, engineered with the PtrXB38 hub gene exhibited a drastic increase in root and callus formation compared with a wild-type control plant, left. Credit: Tao Yao/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2023-10/Poplar%20root%20story%20tip%20as%20JPEG_0.jpg?h=7bc542ef&itok=HNxpeEt6)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists identified a gene “hotspot” in the poplar tree that triggers dramatically increased root growth. The discovery supports development of better bioenergy crops and other plants that can thrive in difficult conditions while storing more carbon belowground.
![Researchers found that moderate levels of ash — sometimes found as spheres in biomass — do not significantly affect the mechanical properties of biocomposites made up of corn stover, switchgrass and PLA thermoplastic. Credit: Andy Sproles/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-12/sampleRecolor_v4_0.png?h=4d1c0665&itok=rRlgS-4C)
The presence of minerals called ash in plants makes little difference to the fitness of new naturally derived compound materials designed for additive manufacturing, an Oak Ridge National Laboratory-led team found.
![When an electron beam drills holes in heated graphene, single-atom vacancies, shown in purple, diffuse until they join with other vacancies to form stationary structures and chains, shown in blue. Credit: Ondrej Dyck/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-12/variation.jpg?h=bedff801&itok=9S6jmOVH)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers serendipitously discovered when they automated the beam of an electron microscope to precisely drill holes in the atomically thin lattice of graphene, the drilled holes closed up.
![ORNL’s particle entanglement machine is a precursor to the device that researchers at the University of Oklahoma are building, which will produce entangled quantum particles for quantum sensing to detect underground pipeline leaks. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2021-07/IMG_20170706_154618586AK_0.jpg?h=61873cd7&itok=0OWbsNbu)
To minimize potential damage from underground oil and gas leaks, Oak Ridge National Laboratory is co-developing a quantum sensing system to detect pipeline leaks more quickly.