Filter News
Area of Research
- Advanced Manufacturing (6)
- Biology and Environment (10)
- Building Technologies (2)
- Clean Energy (50)
- Computer Science (3)
- Electricity and Smart Grid (1)
- Energy Sciences (2)
- Fusion and Fission (3)
- Fusion Energy (8)
- Isotopes (4)
- Materials (23)
- Materials for Computing (4)
- National Security (3)
- Neutron Science (4)
- Nuclear Science and Technology (7)
- Nuclear Systems Modeling, Simulation and Validation (1)
- Quantum information Science (1)
- Sensors and Controls (1)
- Supercomputing (6)
News Type
News Topics
- (-) Advanced Reactors (13)
- (-) Composites (9)
- (-) Cybersecurity (3)
- (-) Energy Storage (31)
- (-) Fusion (9)
- (-) Grid (20)
- (-) Isotopes (5)
- (-) Microscopy (11)
- (-) Polymers (9)
- (-) Space Exploration (10)
- (-) Sustainable Energy (44)
- 3-D Printing/Advanced Manufacturing (31)
- Artificial Intelligence (13)
- Big Data (16)
- Bioenergy (15)
- Biology (17)
- Biomedical (11)
- Biotechnology (3)
- Buildings (19)
- Chemical Sciences (8)
- Clean Water (13)
- Climate Change (22)
- Computer Science (39)
- Coronavirus (11)
- Critical Materials (12)
- Decarbonization (8)
- Environment (43)
- Exascale Computing (1)
- Frontier (1)
- High-Performance Computing (11)
- Hydropower (6)
- Irradiation (2)
- ITER (3)
- Machine Learning (10)
- Materials (35)
- Materials Science (33)
- Mathematics (1)
- Mercury (3)
- Molten Salt (5)
- Nanotechnology (12)
- National Security (3)
- Net Zero (1)
- Neutron Science (27)
- Nuclear Energy (18)
- Partnerships (1)
- Physics (4)
- Quantum Computing (4)
- Quantum Science (10)
- Security (1)
- Simulation (7)
- Statistics (1)
- Summit (6)
- Transportation (35)
Media Contacts
![Two green oak leaves with other matter in two circles above them. To the right, a yellow blob. To the left, a brown material inside a bowl.](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2024-06/Tan%20background%20-%20no%20words%20%281%29.png?h=a9a76387&itok=z1mNs7GY)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists ingeniously created a sustainable, soft material by combining rubber with woody reinforcements and incorporating “smart” linkages between the components that unlock on demand.
![Red background fading into black from top to bottom. Over top the background are 20 individual rectangles lined up in three rows horizontally with a red and blue line moving through it.](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2024-05/cover_image.jpg?h=f61ad192&itok=-DQxXWM_)
ORNL scientists develop a sample holder that tumbles powdered photochemical materials within a neutron beamline — exposing more of the material to light for increased photo-activation and better photochemistry data capture.
![A tan and black cylinder that is made up of three long tubes vertically with a black line horizontally going across the bottom and the top. There is a piece laying on the floor that says ORNL.](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2024-05/0N4A1403.jpg?h=193fc484&itok=LG0sANT8)
ORNL researchers used electron-beam additive manufacturing to 3D-print the first complex, defect-free tungsten parts with complex geometries.
![An international team using neutrons set the first benchmark (one nanosecond) for a polymer-electrolyte and lithium-salt mixture. Findings could produce safer, more powerful lithium batteries. Credit: Phoenix Pleasant/ORNL](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2024-04/roost.jpg?h=4f43c43c&itok=_42L5o3J)
An international team using neutrons set the first benchmark (one nanosecond) for a polymer-electrolyte and lithium-salt mixture. Findings could produce safer, more powerful lithium batteries.
![Caption: Jaswinder Sharma makes battery coin cells with a lightweight current collector made of thin layers of aligned carbon fibers in a polymer with carbon nanotubes. Credit: Genevieve Martin/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2024-01/sharma1_1.jpg?h=f7dae89e&itok=JiSsMewF)
Electric vehicles can drive longer distances if their lithium-ion batteries deliver more energy in a lighter package. A prime weight-loss candidate is the current collector, a component that often adds 10% to the weight of a battery cell without contributing energy.
![Researchers have shown how an all-solid lithium-based electrolyte material can be used to develop fast charging, long-range batteries for electric vehicles that are also safer than conventional designs. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2023-10/Lui_solid_state_0.png?h=27870e4a&itok=hd5IA-bH)
Currently, the biggest hurdle for electric vehicles, or EVs, is the development of advanced battery technology to extend driving range, safety and reliability.
![ORNL researcher Zhijia Du inserts a newly developed liquid electrolyte material into a battery pouch cell. The formulation extends the life of extreme-fast-charging batteries like those used in electric vehicles. Credit: Genevieve Martin/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2023-09/du_0.jpg?h=d228da7b&itok=k918MIXQ)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers are taking fast charging for electric vehicles, or EVs, to new extremes. A team of battery scientists recently developed a lithium-ion battery material that not only recharges 80% of its capacity in 10
![ORNL and Enginuity researchers proved that a micro combined heat and power prototype, or mCHP, with an opposed piston engine can achieve more than 93% overall energy efficiency. The environmentally friendly mCHP can replace a back-up generator or traditional hot water heater. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Department of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2023-06/storytipjb.png?h=ddb1ad0c&itok=0ZTdSit5)
ORNL researchers, in collaboration with Enginuity Power Systems, demonstrated that a micro combined heat and power prototype, or mCHP, with a piston engine can achieve an overall energy efficiency greater than 93%.
![ORNL researchers have developed a new pressing method, shown as blue circle on right, that produces a more uniform solid electrolyte than the traditionally processed material with more voids, shown as gray circle on left. The material can be integrated into a battery system, center, for improved stability and rate performance. Credit: Andy Sproles/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2023-06/Electrolyte.StoryTip_0.png?h=b6717701&itok=PIYcf5iS)
ORNL scientists found that a small tweak created big performance improvements in a type of solid-state battery, a technology considered vital to broader electric vehicle adoption.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists led the development of a supply chain model revealing the optimal places to site farms, biorefineries, pipelines and other infrastructure for sustainable aviation fuel production.