Filter News
Area of Research
- (-) Materials (94)
- (-) Neutron Science (33)
- (-) Nuclear Science and Technology (4)
- Advanced Manufacturing (6)
- Biological Systems (2)
- Biology and Environment (55)
- Clean Energy (108)
- Climate and Environmental Systems (1)
- Computer Science (1)
- Electricity and Smart Grid (1)
- Functional Materials for Energy (1)
- Fusion and Fission (7)
- Fusion Energy (2)
- Isotope Development and Production (1)
- Isotopes (2)
- Materials Characterization (1)
- Materials for Computing (19)
- Materials Under Extremes (1)
- National Security (8)
- Quantum information Science (1)
- Supercomputing (30)
- Transportation Systems (2)
News Topics
- (-) Bioenergy (16)
- (-) Materials Science (88)
- (-) Transportation (19)
- 3-D Printing/Advanced Manufacturing (30)
- Advanced Reactors (14)
- Artificial Intelligence (12)
- Big Data (3)
- Biology (9)
- Biomedical (18)
- Biotechnology (1)
- Buildings (5)
- Chemical Sciences (33)
- Clean Water (4)
- Climate Change (5)
- Composites (9)
- Computer Science (26)
- Coronavirus (12)
- Critical Materials (13)
- Cybersecurity (6)
- Decarbonization (10)
- Energy Storage (38)
- Environment (21)
- Exascale Computing (2)
- Fossil Energy (1)
- Frontier (4)
- Fusion (16)
- Grid (5)
- High-Performance Computing (6)
- Irradiation (1)
- Isotopes (16)
- ITER (1)
- Machine Learning (7)
- Materials (80)
- Mathematics (1)
- Microscopy (27)
- Molten Salt (7)
- Nanotechnology (43)
- National Security (4)
- Net Zero (1)
- Neutron Science (108)
- Nuclear Energy (50)
- Partnerships (11)
- Physics (32)
- Polymers (18)
- Quantum Computing (4)
- Quantum Science (15)
- Renewable Energy (1)
- Security (3)
- Simulation (1)
- Space Exploration (10)
- Summit (6)
- Sustainable Energy (15)
- Transformational Challenge Reactor (5)
Media Contacts
![3D printed “Frankenstein design” collimator show the “scars” where the individual parts are joined](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2024-04/2024-P03207%20collimator%20with%20scars%20highlighted.jpg?h=036a71b7&itok=4aO2i21j)
Scientists at ORNL have developed 3-D-printed collimator techniques that can be used to custom design collimators that better filter out noise during different types of neutron scattering experiments
![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.
![A small droplet of water is suspended in midair via an electrostatic levitator that lifts charged particles using an electric field that counteracts gravity. Credit: Iowa State University/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2023-11/droplet.png?h=ddb1ad0c&itok=3nblnUcm)
How do you get water to float in midair? With a WAND2, of course. But it’s hardly magic. In fact, it’s a scientific device used by scientists to study matter.
![Conceptual art depicts machine learning finding an ideal material for capacitive energy storage. Its carbon framework (black) has functional groups with oxygen (pink) and nitrogen (turquoise). Credit: Tao Wang/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2023-11/Press%20release%20image_0.jpg?h=706c9a24&itok=zX1lC5ud)
Guided by machine learning, chemists at ORNL designed a record-setting carbonaceous supercapacitor material that stores four times more energy than the best commercial material.
![The sun sets behind the ORNL Visitor Center in this aerial photo from April 2023. Credit: Kase Clapp/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2023-10/sunset_visitor-center_0.png?h=10d202d3&itok=jLImPT0R)
In fiscal year 2023 — Oct. 1–Sept. 30, 2023 — Oak Ridge National Laboratory was awarded more than $8 million in technology maturation funding through the Department of Energy’s Technology Commercialization Fund, or TCF.
![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.
![Connecting wires to the interface of the topological insulator and superconductor enables probing of novel electronic properties. Researchers aim for qubits based on theorized Majorana particles. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2023-09/2023-P04516.jpg?h=c6980913&itok=BoCZtfwR)
Quantum computers process information using quantum bits, or qubits, based on fragile, short-lived quantum mechanical states. To make qubits robust and tailor them for applications, researchers from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory sought to create a new material system.
![The DuAlumin-3D research team developed a lightweight, aluminum alloy for additive manufacturing. Credit: Carlos Jones, ORNL/U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2023-08/dualumintech_0.png?h=c6980913&itok=hypDRDc8)
Dean Pierce of ORNL and a research team led by ORNL’s Alex Plotkowski were honored by DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office for development of novel high-performance alloys that can withstand extreme environments.
![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.
![Neutron scattering experiments at the Spallation Neutron Source revealed how the dynamics between copper and oxygen make a special type of enzyme excel at breaking down biomass. Insights could lead to lowering the cost of biofuel production. Credit: Jill Hemman/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2023-05/23-G02576_Meilleur_0.png?h=b6717701&itok=jPIOwV6b)
Nonfood, plant-based biofuels have potential as a green alternative to fossil fuels, but the enzymes required for production are too inefficient and costly to produce. However, new research is shining a light on enzymes from fungi that could make biofuels economically viable.