Oak Ridge National Laboratory (DOE)
ORNL leads study focused on afterlife of electric vehicle batteries
April 15, 2013 4:15 pm | News | CommentsOnce they've finished powering electric vehicles for hundreds of thousands of miles, it may not be the end of the road for automotive batteries. Five used Chevrolet Volt batteries are at the heart of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's effort to determine the feasibility of a community energy storage system that would put electricity onto the grid.
ORNL's awake imaging device moves diagnostics field forward
April 4, 2013 12:13 pm | News | CommentsA technology being developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory promises to provide clear images of the brains of children, the elderly, and people with Parkinson's and other diseases without the use of uncomfortable or intrusive restraints. Awake imaging provides motion compensation reconstruction, which removes blur caused by motion, allowing physicians to get a transparent picture of the functioning brain without anesthetics that can mask conditions and alter test results.
ORNL microscopy uncovers “dancing” silicon atoms in graphene
April 3, 2013 4:17 pm | News | CommentsJumping silicon atoms are the stars of an atomic scale ballet featured in a new Nature Communications study from the U.S. Department of Energy(DOE)'s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The ORNL research team documented the atoms' unique behavior by first trapping groups of silicon atoms, known as clusters, in a single-atom-thick sheet of carbon called graphene.
Neutron scattering technique provides new data on adsorption of ions
February 28, 2013 8:09 am | News | CommentsThe adsorption of ions in microporous materials governs the operation of a diverse range of technologies. Until now, however, researchers attempting to improve the performance of these technologies haven't been able to directly and unambiguously identify how factors such as pore size, pore surface chemistry, and electrolyte properties affect the concentration of ions in these materials as a function of the applied potential. A team of researchers has demonstrated that a technique, known as small angle neutron scattering, can be used to study the effects of ions moving into nanoscale pores.
Scientists solve mercury mystery
February 7, 2013 3:41 pm | News | CommentsBy identifying two genes required for transforming inorganic into organic mercury, which is far more toxic, scientists today have taken a significant step toward protecting human health. The question of how methylmercury, an organic form of mercury, is produced by natural processes in the environment has stumped scientists for decades, but a team led by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has solved the puzzle.
Zoomable map of popular proteins offers new view of bioenergy crop
January 29, 2013 3:25 pm | News | CommentsResearchers seeking to improve production of ethanol from woody crops have a new resource in the form of an extensive molecular map of poplar tree proteins, published by a team from the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Research paves way for larger, safer lithium-ion batteries
January 24, 2013 7:45 am | News | CommentsLooking toward improved batteries for charging electric cars and storing energy from renewable but intermittent solar and wind, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed the first high-performance, nanostructured solid electrolyte for more energy-dense lithium-ion batteries.
RABiTS technology enables record-setting performance
January 17, 2013 7:57 am | News | CommentsA technology invented at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for manufacturing copper-oxide-based high-temperature superconducting materials has been used to make an iron-based superconducting wire capable of carrying very high electrical currents under exceptionally high magnetic fields.
Dark Clouds, But Bright Outlook for R&D
December 14, 2012 11:27 am | by Tim Studt | Articles | CommentsChanges in the R&D environment are driving research managers to look at different ways to support and grow their organizations.
2012 R&D Research Executive Roundtable: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
December 14, 2012 11:25 am | Articles | Comments2012 R&D Research Executive Roundtable answers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Changes in the R&D environment are driving research managers to look at different ways to support and grow their organizations.
ORNL develops lignin-based thermoplastic conversion process
December 3, 2012 7:15 am | News | CommentsTurning lignin, a plant's structural glue and a byproduct of the paper and pulp industry, into something considerably more valuable is driving a research effort headed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The research team has developed a process that ultimately transforms the lignin byproduct into a thermoplastic by reconstructing larger lignin molecules either through a chemical reaction with formaldehyde or by washing with methanol.
Recipe for oxide interface perfection opens path to novel materials
November 16, 2012 3:22 pm | News | CommentsBy tweaking the formula for growing oxide thin films, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory achieved virtual perfection at the interface of two insulator materials. The research team demonstrated that a single unit cell layer of lanthanum aluminate grown on a strontium titanate substrate is sufficient to stabilize a chemically and atomically sharp interface.
Pushing the boundaries of electron microscopy to unlock graphene's potential
November 16, 2012 8:46 am | News | CommentsElectron microscopy at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is providing unprecedented views of the individual atoms in graphene, offering scientists a chance to unlock the material's full potential for uses from engine combustion to consumer electronics. A research team used aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy to study the atomic and electronic structure of silicon impurities in graphene.
'Strain tuning' reveals promise in nanoscale manufacturing
November 12, 2012 3:22 pm | News | CommentsResearchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have reported progress in fabricating advanced materials at the nanoscale. The spontaneous self-assembly of nanostructures composed of multiple elements paves the way toward materials that could improve a range of energy-efficient technologies and data storage devices.
ORNL debuts Titan supercomputer
October 30, 2012 1:36 pm | News | CommentsThe U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory launched a new era of scientific supercomputing on Tuesday with Titan, a system capable of churning through more than 20,000 trillion calculations each second—or 20 petaflops—by employing a family of processors called graphic processing units first created for computer gaming. Titan will be 10 times more powerful than ORNL's last world-leading system, Jaguar.
Tiny pores in graphene could give rise to membranes
October 23, 2012 12:22 pm | by Jennifer Chu, MIT News Office | News | CommentsMuch has been made of graphene’s exceptional qualities, particularly its phenomenal strength and impermeability. But the material may not be as impenetrable as scientists have thought. Recent analysis shows that the material bears intrinsic defects, or holes in its atom-sized armor. Experiments demonstrate small molecules like salts can pass easily through a graphene membrane’s tiny pores, while larger molecules were unable to penetrate.
Neutron experiments give unprecedented look at quantum oscillations
October 23, 2012 12:03 pm | News | CommentsResearchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have found that nitrogen atoms in the compound uranium nitride exhibit unexpected, distinct vibrations that form a nearly ideal realization of a physics textbook model known as the isotropic quantum harmonic oscillator.
ORNL wins grants for solar power research
October 11, 2012 2:31 pm | News | CommentsIn a push to lower the cost of solar power, the U.S. Department of Energy has funded two projects at Oak Ridge National Laboratory focused on improving concentrating solar power collector and receiver performance.
Research uncovers path to defect-free thin films
September 20, 2012 9:04 am | News | CommentsA team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory has discovered a strain relaxation phenomenon in cobaltites that has eluded researchers for decades and may lead to advances in fuel cells, magnetic sensors, and a host of energy-related materials. The finding could change the conventional wisdom that accommodating the strain inherent during the formation of epitaxial thin films involves structural defects.
SNS researchers overcome the freezing sample problem in biostudies
September 13, 2012 10:07 am | News | CommentsResearchers at the Spallation Neutron Source BASIS beam line at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have successfully developed a method to study biomolecules (proteins) at temperatures far below freezing using a lithium chloride preparation in the aqueous solvent that prevents freezing.
ORNL roof and attic design proves efficient
September 11, 2012 6:22 am | News | CommentsA new kind of roof-and-attic system field tested at Oak Ridge National Laboratory keeps homes cool in summer and prevents heat loss in winter, a multiseasonal efficiency uncommon in roof and attic design. The system improves efficiency using controls for radiation, convenction, and insulation, including a passive ventilation system that pulls air from the underbelly of the attic into an inclined air space above the roof.
Newly licensed neutron detector will advance human disease research
September 6, 2012 11:08 am | News | CommentsA neutron detector developed for studies focused on life science, drug discovery, and materials technology has been licensed by PartTec Ltd. The Indiana-based manufacturer of radiation detection technologies is moving the technology developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory toward the commercial marketplace.
Oak Ridge partnership merges strengths of lab, private sector
August 27, 2012 10:29 am | News | CommentsAn Oak Ridge engineering services firm with an international footprint has teamed with three Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists to form a subsidiary and market a text analysis system. The subsidiary, Global Security Information Analysts LLC, is the product of Professional Project Services and the inventors of Piranha, software used by military and Department of Homeland Security to analyze large sets of streaming data.
Researchers probe invisible vacancies in fuel cell materials
August 22, 2012 11:34 am | News | CommentsKnowing the position of missing oxygen atoms could be the key to cheaper solid oxide fuel cells with longer lifetimes. New microscopy research from Oak Ridge National Laboratory is enabling scientists to map these vacancies at an atomic scale.
Researchers improve soil carbon cycling models
August 17, 2012 3:35 am | News | CommentsA new carbon cycling model developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory better accounts for the carbon dioxide-releasing activity of microbes in the ground, improving scientists' understanding of the role soil will play in future climate change.
